Fog Upon LA
by Jude Rigby
Summary: Traveling to the West Coast for their book tour Castle and Beckett see new places and old and visit their California friends on their way from San Francisco to San Diego. An unexpected circumstance during their trip brings them to an old acquaintance and the fact that fire cannot conceal what is evil. Twenty-fifth in the Beware Of Darkness series. Caskett pairing. Complete.
1. Prologue- Night On Fire

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: Since this chapter is so short I'll be posting the next one in a few hours. So if anyone wants to read it look out for it then!

A/N #2: The title of this story is a lyric from the song _Blue Jay Way_ written by George Harrison, from The Beatles album _Magical Mystery Tour_. The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song _Light My Fire_ by The Doors, from their self-titled album.

Night On Fire

The breeze was warm and the figure hidden in the darkness smiled as conditions had proven to be perfect for their plans. They turned from the hill they were at the bottom of and glanced at the view of the cities spread out before them. Something seemed to go through their mind and they began to run up, using the trail they'd worn into the dirt until they could see the white buildings at the top.

There they stopped, slightly panting and trying to keep quiet as they could see the figures moving around in the shadows of the light. They breathed out heavily as they kept an eye on the shadows, making sure no one would see them. At the same time, there was a large amount of wrestling with their own consciousness as they tried to make their final decision.

' _You're going to lose what's been more important to you than anything_ ,' the voice inside their head commented.

' _It's needed, they need to know how much they love me_ ,' they argued back though they did so mentally.

' _And if you kill them and your home?_ ' the voice replied.

' _That's a sacrifice I already knew about_ ,' they said simply. They waited for the voice to start up again but there was no response. They were about to leave to begin when the voice gave them pause.

' _You know they don't really care about you; they don't know you; no one does_ ,' the voice said.

' _Shut up!_ ' they replied, shocked their own mind would literally betray them verbally with that.

' _Then why do this again? Leave them alone and just live your life_ ,' the voice said.

"I have no life," they growled though they tried to keep their voice down. "It's the only way."

With that they moved over to where they had found the perfect starting point and there was a flicker of light in their hands. Leaning over they set the flame to the dried-out tree that began to burn. Very rapidly they rushed down the hill enough so they could see the tree itself and then the buildings and shadows above.

Their heart began to pound rapidly as the flames began to lick the night sky and they had to fight their excitement from getting too far out of hand. Forcing their eyes up to the figures they saw there was a group that began to look down the hill and at the fire that was then spreading out to some dried foliage around the tree.

"Yess," they breathed out in joy seeing half of the group making their way down. They hesitated; as they knew they needed to go; before they finally pushed themselves and ran down the hill. They knew it would only take a matter of time before finally they would see them again so they didn't pay close attention to their path. All that filled their head was the sound of the fire and the feel of the breeze that would assist them.

But before they could reach the very bottom they had to stop and turn, a smile spreading over their face as the fire was doing nicely. They debated if they could watch there and began to look around, searching for a place to hide and wait.

"Hey!" a voice suddenly said, startling the figure.

Throwing themselves down the rest of the hill they tried their best to stay ahead of the person giving chase though it became difficult. They soon heard footsteps getting closer and closer as they neared the fence they'd climbed over and with a flying leap they tried to reach it as the person behind them was doing the same to catch them and everything went dark as the fire spread above them.


	2. Going To San Francisco

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: I was so, so happy to get the reviews I did for such a short chapter so I want to get to my thanks you for that right away! SeriouslyCarol (It was very nice to see your initial reaction to the prologue of course, I wanted to get that kind of response to it. And I'm glad you think already it's going to be good, I'm hoping you'll enjoy the story as it'll continue! I was pleased of course to see you can't wait for the next chapter; which you don't need to do anymore now! You're very welcome for writing!),  
vetgirlmx (Your word creepy perfectly described what I'd been aiming for with the prologue so it was great I could get that from you. And I'll agree, the guy is nuts with voices and I'll agree too with it being worse when the voices are trying to convince the person not to hurt someone. I had to laugh a bit at you mentioning that no one has died yet since I know of course that's to be expected with me. Not surprised you're sure someone will and soon, you'll have to see of course how that works out! But so, so happy you're already hooked and that you can't wait to read more and now you don't have to of course!),  
TORONTOSUN (So nice to see you like the idea I have in the prologue since I want it to be interesting of course and looks like it interested you!) and  
French (Lol, I can assure you I'm not a psychopath or the real Richard Castle, but it was such a compliment to read that in your review since you said you find me that good writing a dramatic moment like that. I credit it to watching a lot of true crime shows and seeing the point of view of the killer once in a while. But great you thought the prologue was good since I want to grab my readers' attention for the story so that means I managed to accomplish that!).  
Thanks so much for the reviews, loved reading them all and am very grateful for the time taken to write them out and send them to me!

A/N #2: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song _San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)_ written by John Phillips, from the single sung by Scott McKenzie.

Going To San Francisco

Watching as the bellman left with tip in hand Beckett said to her husband, "I can tell you're happy to be here."

"How could I not be?" Castle replied with a smile as he watched her go to the windows looking out on the street in their room at the Westin St. Francis. "We haven't been here in almost four years. You?"

Smiling Beckett said, "I am, how long until we need to be there?"

"An hour," Castle replied, looking at his watch.

"Good, unpack and then we'll call the girls," Beckett replied. She wasn't surprised when her husband went quickly over to his suitcase on the bed and she followed him so she could unpack as well. As she took out clothes she would need that day and the next in San Francisco; the beginning of their book tour in the state; she said to her husband, "I hope they're doing alright."

"They are," Castle replied. "You remember what they said before we left."

Beckett couldn't help laugh and nodded, her mind going to the day before when she and her husband had been finishing their packing. They'd spent the night at the loft in the city, so they'd had to say goodbye to their daughters and Louis before heading out on the road.

* * *

 _"Are you taking anything fancy?" Julia asked, looking at her mother's suitcase._

 _"I already packed it," Beckett replied with a smile as she glanced at her daughter. "I'm taking my blue dress."_

 _"The lace one?" Eliza asked. When her mother nodded, she smiled and said, "Good." She then became thoughtful and asked, "Are you gonna wear it?"_

 _"I'll have a few chances," Beckett replied. "There will be parties while we're going down the coast."_

 _"Do you have more than one dress love?" Castle asked his wife as he came up behind her, kissing the side of her neck tenderly._

 _"You'll see," Beckett replied simply  
_

 _"Are you finished?" Julia asked, watching as Castle zipped up the carryon suitcase that her mother had been packing._

 _"Yes, that means we need to go," Beckett said._

 _"I wish it was closer," Eliza said. "So you could come back home."_

 _"So do we," Castle said. "But that's why we only said two weeks at the most; we didn't want to be away any longer than we needed to." As he'd been speaking they'd gone downstairs and had reached the foyer where they met Alexis and Louis. "You two are set?" he asked._

 _"We are Dad, don't worry," Alexis replied. "Kate, we will be okay," she said as she turned to her stepmother._

 _"I'm not concerned, I know you can handle watching them," Beckett replied, putting on her jacket. She sat down on the bench and put on her shoes next to her husband before she was getting back up. "Have fun with them and if you can walk the dogs every once in a while?" she asked Louis as she gave him a quick hug._

 _With a smile; as said dogs were pressing their noses into her left hand; Louis nodded and said, "We will, it'll be hard to ignore their energy."_

 _Beckett laughed and then pet the dogs behind their ears saying, "Macca, Rita I don't know if you would understand me but be good for everyone."_

 _"They understand," Eliza said quickly as the dogs licked at Beckett's hand at the same time._

 _"I guess so," Beckett replied before she went to Alexis. "We'll call when we can; it depends on what we're doing each day."_

 _"I'll let you know whenever you text," the young woman said. She shared a hug with her stepmother and when they parted said, "Enjoy your time over there."_

 _"And enjoy your time here with them," Beckett said with a smile._

 _"I will," Alexis said laughingly._

 _"Alright, love you Alexis and we'll see you tomorrow," Beckett told her._

 _"I love you too Kate, have a safe trip," the young woman replied._

 _"Come here you two," Beckett said, turning to her daughters. When they ran to her she smiled and sat down on the bench so she could hug them better. She kissed their cheeks and said, "I love you Eliza, Julia. And we're going to miss you, a lot, while we're gone." When they opened their mouths to speak she quickly said, "But, we're still going and we'll still be… romantic as you like to say."_

 _Laughing with her sister Julia said, "Good that's all we want. And for you to talk to us."_

 _"We will," Castle said, standing behind the girls as he watched them after hugging Alexis goodbye, shaking Louis' hand and petting the dogs as well._

 _"Listen to your sister and Louis and try not to make too much trouble for them," Beckett said to the two when they looked back at her. "And now that that's out of the way have fun with them when you're not at school."_

 _"We will," the girls said at the same time._

 _Eliza giggled as her sister smiled at her and said, "I love you too Mommy and we want you to have fun too."_

 _"I promise," Beckett said, sharing a kiss with her._

 _"I love you Mommy," Julia said, hugging her mother a little harder. "And what Eliza said."_

 _"I'll take pictures to prove we had fun," Beckett replied. She shared a kiss with her oldest and got up for Castle who soon sat down where she'd been._

 _"I love you Julia, Eliza and we'll make sure to call every day," Castle said._

 _"Really?" Eliza asked with a smile._

 _"Of course," Castle said. "We want to see you there since we can't see you like we do here at home."_

 _"Good," Eliza said, kissing his cheek. "Love you Daddy."_

 _"I love you too Daddy," Julia said quickly._

 _Sharing a kiss with them both Castle said, "I won't repeat what your mom said, just one thing and that is have fun still."_

 _"We will," the girls said at the same time._

 _Forcing himself to stand up Castle walked with his wife to the front where their car was with their suitcases, their family behind them. He helped her load the trunk before they hugged their daughters one last time and after waving to them from the windows he drove them to the city. They were quiet during the ride but once they were outside the Hamptons he said, "I was hoping time would slow down."_

 _"I'm sure this trip will go quickly," Beckett replied, glancing at her husband._

 _"Hopefully," Castle said with a smile at her._

 _When they had reached the loft, they went up to find that both their parents were there, sitting at the table and drinking coffee._

 _"Hello," Martha said, reaching them first. She hugged her daughter in law and then her son saying, "How are they?"_

 _"Don't you mean, how are we?" Castle asked her slightly jokingly as he embraced her._

 _"That as well but you needed to answer my first question before I got to that," Martha said, mock scolding him._

 _"Hey Dad," Beckett said as she was hugging Jim next. "Okay?"_

 _"Yes," Jim replied with a nod. "You? The girls?"_

 _"They're fine," Beckett said, moving so her husband could shake her father's hand. "They wanted us to miss them but promise to have fun."_

 _Jim laughed and said, "That does sound like them. And Alexis?"_

 _"The same most likely though she didn't say it," Castle answered._

 _"Would you two like some coffee?" Martha asked them._

 _"No thank you, I'd like to get my clothes ready for tomorrow," Beckett said. "I'll come back out though; it won't take me long."_

 _When she was gone, Castle said to his mother, "I'll take a fresh cup." He then recalled something and asked, "Who made it?"_

 _"I did," Jim replied. "I brought the brew over."_

 _"Thank you," Castle said, going to the mug his mother set on the table. He prepared his coffee rapidly and went to the bedroom as Martha and Jim sat at the table again. "They're talking," he said to his wife as she was at the bed getting some clothes out of her suitcase._

 _"Of course, did you expect them to come in here?" Beckett replied with a smile on her face. When she looked up at him she wasn't surprised when he merely shrugged and she smiled a little wider before turning her attention to her suitcase._

 _"It'll be nice to get away for a little," Castle said after he'd sipped at his coffee._

 _"It will," Beckett said, setting aside the suitcase with her carryon. "Come on; let's talk with them before we head out for dinner."_

 _"Remy's?" Castle asked. When she just smiled over her shoulder at him he said, "Awesome," making her laugh as they went back out into the living room to join their parents._

* * *

"Hi, I'm Judy, Judy Parlini," the woman said as she reached the table where Castle and Beckett were sitting.

"Nice to meet you," Castle said first, his wife echoing him. He signed the copy of their newest book; _Everybody's Wearing a Disguise_ ; she had handed him before he said, "We hope you'll enjoy it."

"I will, I've loved all your other books," the woman almost gushed to the two as she watched while Beckett signed the book next.

"We're glad to hear that," Beckett said, smiling up at her as she handed the woman the tome. When she left, she said, "So that's one that didn't ask about our next book with Julia."

Castle tried not to laugh, instead turned his attention to the man walking up to them. He groaned in the back of his mind at the way he was looking at Beckett but focused instead on what the man was saying.  
"Name's Leroy Hills," the man told them though he was looking at Beckett as he spoke. "Big fan of yours, you write extremely well."

"We're happy to hear that," Beckett said, emphasizing the word we. She signed the book after her husband had and set aside the slip of paper the man managed to get to her hand. "We're tied now," she told her husband when they were alone again.

"I get the feeling that might be how it ends up," Castle said with a smile. He glanced at the line; being held back by a worker at the bookstore; and said, "This is going to take forever."

"Just remember once things are finished we can go out," Beckett said with a smile before she nodded to the worker to let the next person through. That book signing was like the others she had attended with her husband, the only thing that time that kept her going was the thought that they'd call their daughters as soon as they were finished.

Castle tried not to sign his autograph with a flourish when he knew it would be the last time, instead spoke to the woman who'd come up to them. But when she had left the table and the people left in line were told the signing was over he let out a heavy breath and glanced to his wife.

"Count," Beckett said simply to him with a smile.

"Oh, right I forgot," Castle replied. He took all the slips of paper with phone numbers on them and went through them quickly before he said, "Sixteen."

"That's how much I got," Beckett said with a smile.

"I'm not surprised," Castle said as they stood up together. "Text Alexis," he told her after he'd thrown away the papers.

"I already did," Beckett replied. "And they're ready but where-"

"Here," Castle said, taking his wife's hand and leading her over to the room an employee had said they could use. "Here," he said to his wife as he handed her his tablet he'd brought with them.

After dialing the number for home Beckett watched as their daughters appeared on the screen, making her smile. "You're ready to talk now?" she said teasingly.

"Hi Mommy!" the girls both cried out.

"Hey, you two," Castle said.

"Hi Daddy!" they told him quickly.

"How was your day?" Castle asked.

"Good," Eliza said first after looking at her sister. "I learned more numbers like fifteen and sixteen." She was surprised when her parents started to laugh and she asked, "What is it?"

"We got that many pieces of paper; sixteen," Beckett answered once she'd calmed down.

"Both of you?" Julia asked with a smile.

"Yes, so I think we'll share dessert," Beckett said with a smile at her husband.

"Definitely," Castle said with a slight grin at her. He then shook himself to turn his attention to their youngest and said, "Keep going."

"And then at recess we went to play on the swings and stayed there," Eliza said quickly.

Beckett, holding herself slightly tense, didn't relax until the little girl had continued with the rest of her school day and she could finally say, "Did Ms. Grey talk to you at all?"

"Wait until Jules says about her day," Eliza replied.

"Okay I think that's your cue," Castle said, looking at the girl.

Julia tried not to laugh so she could start and she soon talked about everything she'd done in her class that day. "And Ms. Grey did talk to us, me and Lizzy."

"And?" Castle asked.

"She can start after Christmas; she wants her to be a little older," Alexis said, behind the girls.

"Where's Louis?" Beckett said as she noticed the young man's absence quickly.

"He's talking to his family," Alexis replied. "Just his parents since Erin's likely asleep by now."

"I would hope so," Castle said. "She's got school tomorrow."

"I'll get them into bed on time," Alexis said in mock annoyance. She then smiled and said, "But Ms. Grey talked to me too since you guys weren't there and she said she wants Eliza to be a little taller as well."

"That makes sense, but will she have a partner?" Beckett said.

"She doesn't know," Alexis answered.

"I'll help her," Julia said quickly. "That's why she can dance 'cause I'll help her out."

"I think we all knew that already," Castle said, pretending to be serious. When the girls had stopped laughing he smiled at his wife and said, "Well I think it's our turn?"

"We stayed in until after lunch; except for getting Lizzy of course," Alexis said, smiling at the TV as her father and stepmother had turned to look at her. "Once we got home from taking them to school, and then we went on a walk with the dogs. We might do that regularly since it's nice to work off the meal."

"I would say you should do the same after dinner with both girls too but it's getting darker sooner," Beckett said.

"We played outside for a little with them Mommy," Eliza said to her seriously.

"Oh, well that's good to hear," Castle said. "And that's it?"

"Jules did her homework," Alexis continued. "And after that we played and after that we had dinner that Louis and I made."

"It was grilled cheese," Eliza said.

"And some soup too," Julia added.

"And Louis made…" Eliza began before looking at her sister.

"Black and whites," Alexis said. "Just as a treat." She wasn't surprised when her father and stepmother nodded; knowing it was in case the girls had been missing them; and she said, "And they didn't drink it all before eating."

"Good to hear," Castle said. He wasn't surprised when the three looked at him and he smiled before saying, "Not much to tell on our end. We got up, had a nice lunch with your gram and grandpapa at _Tavern on the Green_ before they took us to the airport and shortly after that was the flight."

"How's your room?" Alexis asked.

"The same as it was before," Beckett said with a smile. "Which means it's great."

"Are you gonna go swimming?" Eliza asked in a rush before either she or Castle could continue.

"We might try," Castle said. "So, after we got settled in our room we came here to the signing and now we're talking to you."

"What about after?" Alexis asked.

"We're going to take the trolley and head up to Fisherman's Wharf," Beckett answered.

"You're having the bread bowl for dinner?" Alexis said, smiling when her sisters both gasped though Eliza didn't remember it; just from pictures.

"We are, something simple since we had to travel today," Castle said.

"What about dessert?" Julia said.

"Why am I not surprised you asked that," Beckett told her teasingly. "And I think we're going to Ghirardelli Square for that."

"We are," Castle said with a wide smile to his wife as she was looking at him. He looked to the screen with Beckett as their daughters laughed and he said, "We better go and let you guys play until your bedtime."

"Which is coming soon," Beckett said as it was eight back at home.

"We'll go," the girls said together.

Castle waited until they had finished laughing and he said to them, "Good night Julia, Eliza and you Alexis. I love you three."

"Love you Daddy," Eliza said first, waving.

"I love you too Daddy," Julia said, waving as well.

"And of course, I love you Dad," Alexis replied.

"I love you girls too," Beckett said. "Alexis I'm including you in there," she directed to her stepdaughter.

"I love you Mommy," Eliza said. "And I miss you but I hope you have a nice night with Daddy."

"We will," Beckett assured her.

"Love you Mommy and I think the same thing," Julia said next.

"Love you too Kate and I'll echo the girls," Alexis replied. She smiled and said, "Tell us about your night?"

"Tomorrow we will," Castle said firmly. "Goodnight and tell Louis the same."

"He's right, we'll see you tomorrow," Beckett said. She and her husband said goodbye to the three before they turned to each other. "Let's go?"

"Let's," Castle said after he'd turned off his tablet before handing it to her to put away in her bag she had with her. He took her hand and they walked together out of the bookstore, making their way to the cable car stop that was nearby. Since it was after summer there were less people in line and he and his wife were soon standing in the back of the cable car. "For the girls," he told his wife as he'd led her there.

Beckett wanted to comment on that but decided it wouldn't be worth the effort as they were soon setting off down the track. She smiled when her husband held onto her with one arm and she leaned back against him as the ride was still slightly jolting. She watched the buildings they were passing but didn't move to get her camera as the pictures wouldn't come out since they were in motion. Finally, they reached the end of the line and she stepped down to the street first before turning to her husband. "So, what should we do first?" she asked him as they set off hand in hand up to the main street.

"Eat and then walk all around before we have dessert," Castle said. He wasn't surprised when his wife smiled and said, "You guessed?"

"I guessed," Beckett replied, a smile on her face. They walked straight to _Boudin Bakery_ and she said, "Inside or out?"

Glancing up at the sky before they went inside Castle said, "I think inside is better; the fog."

"I saw it," Beckett replied. "We-"

"Save a table for us," Castle said as they had reached it.

Beckett was going to protest before she knew he wasn't going to let her say no and she told him, "Just get me some sparkling water to drink; no surprises."

"I wasn't planning on doing that," Castle told her seriously. He wasn't surprised when she looked at him and he said, "Really, we're getting dessert."

"Nothing that's too much," Beckett said quickly, sitting down at a table.

Castle didn't reply, just smiled at her before he walked over to the line which was short. He ordered and when he had the food soon after he went back to his wife saying, "We need to come here more often."

"For this?" Beckett asked with a smile.

"Sure," Castle replied. "Or maybe we should travel on our own like this. Not often," he hurriedly continued as she opened her mouth to speak. "But you know, occasionally… maybe not so close to your birthday though."

Beckett looked thoughtful and said, "Maybe in February or May."

"May might be good," Castle said as he was tearing a piece of the top of the bread off to dip. "Before things get crazy at school… though I don't think this year they will be that bad for Julia."

"No," Beckett said. She ate some of the soup and then said, "But let's hold off on that."

"Of course," Castle said, studying her then. "Kate-"

"I'm fine," Beckett said quickly. She smiled at him to reassure him and said, "I almost thought they were going to talk about seeing ghosts at recess."

Though he didn't like she was changing the subject so obviously Castle instead said, "I know, I was too but I guess that thing doesn't happen all the time."

"That thing?" Beckett asked in amusement. She tried not to laugh when her husband shrugged; as he had a spoonful of soup in his mouth; and she ate herself to distract herself from doing that.

Castle scraped his spoon against the sides of his bread bowl when he had finished the soup and jumped when it snapped near the bottom. "Okay, that's it for that meal," he told his wife.

"I finished too," Beckett replied, trying not to laugh. She set her bottle of water in her bag and said, "Let's go?"

"Yeah, I want to check out the sea lions again," Castle said quickly, helping her clear the table before he took her hand and they walked together outside.

Going down the street Beckett shivered in the wind blowing around them and pressed closer to her husband saying, "It's freezing."

"Not yet, wait until the fog comes in all the way," Castle replied. When he didn't get a response from her he wrapped his arm around her and held her against his side until they had reached Pier 39. They went down to the sea lions at the end and they watched the animals together as they leaned against the railing.

"You should film a video for them," Beckett said after the idea came to her when they'd been there for some time.

"Yeah," Castle said quickly as he moved to get his phone out of his pocket. He filmed the sea lions for a while, panning around until he was sure that nearly three minutes was long enough. Looking at his wife he asked her, "Want to keep going?"

"Sure," Beckett said, reaching for her husband's hand. They went around to the main part of the pier and passed the shops, looking at them but not stopping in them.

"What're we getting them?" Castle asked as they'd told their daughters they'd be getting one thing for them in each city they were in.

"I think a shirt that's about the best thing to get here; they both have stuffed sea lions," Beckett answered. They had come to a t-shirt store she recalled from their previous trips and pulled her husband after her. "Go look for Eliza," she told him.

"Sure," Castle said before he went over to the shirts for their youngest's age. He looked at the different designs before he found one he thought the little girl would love. That done he went to find his wife and was surprised to see her in the section with Alcatraz themed souvenirs. "For you?" he asked as they still had a hard time with the island after what they'd gone through five years before.

"No Julia asked if she could have a shirt that said Alcatraz," Beckett said. She held up a grey one that had the name of the island and said, "Something simple."

"I sort of did the same," Castle said, showing her the shirt for Eliza.

Smiling at the teal colored top with San Francisco on it and three sand dollars underneath it she said, "It's good, she'll love it. And she'll love the color too."

"Is that it?" Castle asked as he took the other shirt so he could go pay. "You don't want anything?"

"I'm fine," Beckett said, following him to the front of the store. She stayed with him and as they left she slipped her arm through his to hold on to the upper part of it. When they stopped in front of the _crêpe_ place she said, "Do you want to keep going through until we get to the street?"

"Yeah there's one place I want to go to," Castle said. He wasn't surprised when his wife didn't say anything and he smiled to himself as they made their way to Jefferson. He walked them to the building quickly which was the Musée Mécanique, that she'd already guessed he wanted to go to, and he said, "Five dollars?"

"Go ahead," Beckett told him, smiling at his eagerness that he made no attempt to hide.

"Come on, you need to play with me," Castle said, pulling her over to the change machine. After getting the quarters he said, "If you see anything just say."

"Go over to the baseball game first," Beckett replied. She let him lead the way to that game, not startled when he urged her to play it first. At her first turn she missed hitting the ball with the metal lever and laughed saying, "I'm out of practice."

"It looks like it," Castle said. He watched her try again and that time she managed to hit the ball to a double space. "Nice," he told her as they watched the figurine below run around the bases in the diamond.

"We'll see how you do," Beckett said simply. She finished her game and stepped aside to watch her husband take a turn. He didn't do as well as her but still managed to get a homerun below him before it finished. "I'm challenging you," she said when he turned to her.

"Air hockey?" Castle asked. When his wife nodded, he smiled and gestured to the table near them before following her over to it. They began to play and were soon laughing with each other as they were teasing one another until Beckett had scored her last goal and had won. "Only by one point; I must be getting better."

Laughing softly Beckett said, "I guess so." She slipped her arm through his again and they walked together through the games. They stopped to watch some old mutoscopes of various subjects and she even teased him into watching a peep show.

"Nothing really exciting," Castle said when it had finished. "Just pictures and you can't see much."

"Move," Beckett said, taking a quarter from him. She wasn't surprised to see her husband was right and pulling away said, "Good thing they don't have a stool for kids to stand on here."

"Even though there's nothing to see," Castle replied, taking her hand.

"No," Beckett replied with a smile. They went through the games again until they came to a bowling one they'd played before with Julia. "Why don't we let the winner here pick out our sundae," she told him as she waited for him to get some quarters.

"No, together," Castle said, handing one to her.

Beckett shook her head at him; though she was smiling; and she started her game. When she had finished, she said to him, "You've got to beat forty."

"I know, I'm not going to have much luck," Castle said jokingly to her. He turned his attention to the game and started to play before it was over and he was five points away from her. "So close," he said.

"You were," Beckett said, smiling lovingly at him. "Come on, let's keep going."

"Sure," Castle said. He thought she meant she wanted them to leave but when she went to a foosball table he smiled, glad they'd come to the museum before they began to play.

That time Castle won and Beckett teased him about cheating as they met at the end of the table. Before he could respond she pulled him out the open door they were near and they walked down the pier there with their arms wrapped around each other. They stood in silence looking out at what they could see of the bay until they turned to one another at the same time and Castle leaned down to her, kissing her gently at first.

Beckett couldn't help herself, turning fully she could wrap her arms tightly around her husband until they slowly parted as they heard people in the distance. She smiled and pressed her forehead to his saying, "Are you especially tired."

"No," Castle told her honestly. "But we have time for that; for now let's make the most of it."

Though she wanted to tease him Beckett merely nodded and looped her arm through his before they walked back to the street to begin making their way down to Ghirardelli Square. They looked at the shops they passed but didn't stop until they got to the ice cream shop at the square and were sitting together at a table looking at a menu at the same time since they were sitting next to each other.

"Remember what I told you," Beckett told her husband after they'd been looking for a while.

"I know," Castle replied. "So that means the Earthquake sundae is out."

"Judging by how big it is in this picture, yes," Beckett said. She smiled at him and said, "If we had the whole family here we could do that." She saw him looking interested and she quickly said, "Yes we'll try that but not now."

"Okay then what about this Cable Car sundae?" Castle asked. He watched her studying the picture and told her, "We're walking back to the trolley."

With a smile Beckett said, "Alright," before she let him take the menu as he was flagging down a waitress. After he had ordered she said, "We're also going swimming."

"Which is why I suggested it," Castle told her seriously before he smiled. "Should I take a picture?"

"Sure, we'll send it tomorrow when we talk to them," Beckett replied. She looked around the soda fountain where they were sitting and said, "I just hope they won't be jealous."

"They will," Castle replied. When his wife looked to him he said, "We're in San Francisco so they will be."

Beckett smiled and said, "We'll come back with them."

"You're serious about the trip down the West Coast?" Castle asked.

"Yes… do you think we should do that next year?" Beckett asked.

Castle was going to speak when he hesitated before he saw she was looking at him questioningly. Finally, he pushed himself to speak and told her, "Do you think we really could?"

Taking a deep breath as she knew what he meant Beckett took a moment to reply as she was trying not to let her slight depression take over. But finally, she was alright and told him, "For now we can; let's see what happens before we get to next year."

"Sorry," Castle said sincerely.

Reaching over to him Beckett gently squeezed his hand and told him, "It's alright, you needed to ask."

Castle only had a chance to nod as their sundae was served to them and he looked down at it with his wife. "It's not too bad," he said, looking at her to see her reaction.

Smiling Beckett said, "No but watch you don't take all of the rocky road," as one of the three scoops was that flavor.

"Don't worry I know how much you like it," Castle said slightly laughingly.

Watching him taking the square of chocolate that had been placed on the scoop of chocolate she asked, "You're taking it?"

"No," Castle said. He then bit it in half and fed his wife the other before he said once he swallowed, "We both are. _Bon appetite_ love."

With a smile at him Beckett picked up one of the spoons on the plate under the sundae and she took some of the rocky road ice cream. "They're going to get jealous," she told her husband after they'd eaten their first bites.

"We'll promise them that other sundae; the huge one," Castle said before she was giving him a look. He couldn't help it and he leaned over slightly, brushing his lips to hers before he sat back. "The rocky road is nice."

Beckett shook her head and said, "So is the chocolate chip." She wasn't surprised when her husband leaned into her again and they shared one more kiss before turning their attention to the ice cream before it melted.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Castle asked after a while.

"I think so," Beckett replied with a smile. "Hopefully we'll enjoy it."

"The Legion of Honor has a great collection," Castle said. "Alexis did assure us of that. You're sure you want to walk the bridge?'

"We're eating with May at her office," Beckett reminded him. "Do you remember the cafeteria?"

"I do and I think we talked about this before," Castle replied.

"Yes, we did," Beckett said, eating more ice cream. When she had had enough she said, "I hope you can finish that."

"I'll be alright," Castle replied. He heard the ringtone of his wife's phone and watched her hurry to get it out of her pocket before answering.

"Hello?" Beckett said.

"Hey Kate," May said on the other end. "So you're here."

"We are, we were on the news, weren't we?" Beckett asked before she set her phone to speaker.

"A quick thing," May replied. "Were they going to talk to you or just film?"

"I think they wanted to talk to us," Castle said. "But we left after the signing to talk to our daughters."

"We might have taken too long for them," Beckett said with a smile. "They were gone by the time we left."

"Hey Rick, glad to hear you guys got here alright," May said, obviously smiling. "I just wanted to call and say hello. Also, to check and make sure that you two were coming for lunch."

"Of course, do you know what time now?" Beckett asked her.

"I'm still not sure," May replied. "Like I said before just be near my office at twelve and I'll call you as soon as I can meet you in the lobby."

"We'll be there," Castle said. "We can walk around the trees in front, right?"

"Or in between the buildings," May said. "A lot of good shots there Kate."

"Thank you I remember from the last time we were there," Beckett said in amusement.

"Listen there's a third reason I'm calling," May said after some silence. "Luke and I want to invite you two to dinner with us."

"And your kids?" Beckett asked, glancing at Castle.

"No, just us," May replied. "My mom's going to watch them for us; we're going to the city tomorrow night."

"Oh," Beckett said with a smile. "I was hoping to see your house in-"

"You can," May said, interrupting her. "I wanted you to see it but I also want to show you the apartment. I'll text you the address in Sausalito and we'll drive you to the apartment."

"Can we ask where we're going for dinner?" Castle asked.

"Casual but dressy," May answered. "I just realized something I assumed; do you two have a car?"

"No, we're getting one Wednesday morning for the drive down to San Jose," Beckett said.

"Okay come by ferry and Luke and I will pick you up to take you to the house," May told them.

"Will your kids be there?" Beckett asked.

"No, Mom's going to take them early for dinner since they have school of course," May said. "I need to go," she said after there was the sound of someone talking in the background.

"What ferry do we need to go on?" Castle said quickly.

"The one that leaves at six," May told them quickly. "I'll see you tomorrow Kate, Rick. Have fun the rest of your night."

"Thanks May," Beckett said. "Bye."

"Goodbye," Castle said before the woman said the same and then hung up. He looked at their sundae and said, "So we finished it."

"We did, the walk in sea air worked," Beckett told him teasingly. When he looked at her she smiled and said, "Come on, let's walk back to the trolley and then go to that mall."

"Really?" Castle asked.

"Really," Beckett replied as she stood since they'd paid by then. "But just to go around it."

"Then we don't need to swim," Castle commented. He wasn't surprised when his wife glanced at him over her shoulder and looked back ahead of her. When they stepped outside he quickly helped her with her red coat she'd brought with them and said, "You don't want to look around here?"

"Not this time," Beckett said, smiling at him. They went down to the sidewalk along Jefferson and as soon as they were there she put her arm through her husband's again, leaning close against his side as they tried to walk fast enough to keep from getting too cold.

Back at the cable car stop they had to wait for the next to arrive so Castle turned to his wife once they were in line and he wrapped his arms around her. "So far it's been nice," he said as they looked at each other.

A smile appeared on her face and Beckett said, "There are more signings but you're right, for the first one it went well."

"And the rest of the day?" Castle said when she didn't say anything else.

Leaning up slightly Beckett shared a kiss with him before they parted and she said, "It's not over yet."

"No," Castle said.

Seeing him hesitate Beckett asked, "What?"

"Well I was thinking that instead of the mall; unless you want to shop; what about going to Chinatown instead?" Castle suggested.

"Alright," Beckett said. "But you're getting me some tea before the gates."

Remembering the coffee shop before the start of that area of the city Castle nodded and said, "Not a problem."

Beckett wanted to comment on that before she looked over at the approaching cable car and she remained silent. She held onto her husband's hand as they waited for the car to be turned around so it could go back down the line and that time she was relieved when he got her a seat inside. "Too cold for the platform," she said with a smile at him once they were sitting down.

"I know," Castle replied, smiling slightly. He tried not to jerk against his wife as the cable car began to move and told her, "I wonder if it's a good idea for us to walk all the way to Chinatown."

"We'll warm up in the Jacuzzi," Beckett told her husband in a low tone as they weren't alone.

"I'm glad to hear that," Castle said, smiling at her before they remained quiet for the rest of the trip south.

At the end of the line where they'd first gotten on the cable car Beckett let her husband step off the platform first before he turned to take her hand. Smiling at him she kissed his cheek in passing before they held hands and walked back up to Union Square where they could cut across. "I should have brought my gloves," she commented when she realized her hands were beginning to freeze as they reached the opposite corner of the square.

"Put your hands in your pockets," Castle said, letting her go. He was doing the same himself then with his coat pockets and they sped up their steps a little more. They were walking down to Grant when he saw a familiar store. "Damn," he said as they reached it.

"What were you going to get them?" Beckett asked as it was the Scottish store.

"Some candy," Castle said. When his wife gave him a look he then said, "No, I had nothing in mind. I just wanted to look around and if we saw anything, there you go." He then asked as they rounded the corner and the gates to Chinatown came into view, "Do you want to get anything for them here?"

"We'll see," Beckett replied easily. They were reaching the coffee shop and she went inside first before turning to her husband, "What are you getting?"

"Coffee," Castle said simply. He then said, "I wish you could too."

Shaking her head Beckett said, "I don't need it."

Realizing then how that sounded Castle said quickly, "I didn't mean for that."

" _You don't remember what we talked about_?" Beckett asked him.

" _Yes, but I wanted to leave it up to you_ ," Castle replied.

" _We'll talk about that later_ ," Beckett said as she saw they were next in line.

Nodding Castle studied her while they walked up to the register and only when he needed to order did he turn away from her. " _Did you want to talk now_?" he asked when they were slightly away from the others there.

" _No, somewhere more private_ ," Beckett said firmly. She wasn't surprised when her husband looked hesitant but didn't say anything else. She squeezed his hand to thank him before they picked up their order and went back out to the street. They remained by the coffee shop, sipping their drinks before they started to walk without a word to each other that they were going to do so.

Sipping at his coffee Castle eventually was walking behind his wife and he watched her as she was looking into different stores. He nearly ran into her when she stopped in front of one store and he said, "Which one is this?"

Turning to him Beckett watched as her husband was looking closely at the inside of the store and she said, "I'd like some incense."

"Okay," Castle said as by then he'd recalled the store from their first trip there. He followed her inside and watched her go to the jewelry that was on some tables there and said, "The girls."

"Maybe," Beckett replied. She then told him after looking at some bracelets, "If I see anything I'll get it-"

"We'll get it," Castle interrupted her.

Glancing back at him Beckett said, "We'll get it but I'm not looking out for anything specifically."

"Good idea," Castle replied. He walked with her until they were at the back of the store and before they reached the incense available he asked her, "Can we get them all something from the Winchester?" He wasn't surprised to see the smile on her face but still said, "You already figured I'd do that."

"I knew," Beckett gently corrected him with a smile. "But yes, we can. I just wonder what you'll be able to get there. You've never been right?"

Shaking his head at her question Castle said, "I have no clue what there'll be but don't worry it won't be anything macabre. I don't want to expose that to them; if they like that stuff let it be because they discovered it themselves." He was slightly startled by his wife grasping his hand and squeezing it tightly before he smiled and responded by doing the same to her. "Get some incense," he urged her. When she turned to do so he said quietly, " _And a holder_."

Smiling at his Irish; since it was unnecessary; Beckett glanced at him and said, " _You changed your mind_."

" _You seem to want something_ ," Castle said, hesitating slightly before he spoke the last word.

Beckett couldn't help smiling at him again and said, " _I do_." With that she turned her attention to the boxes and she chose three before she murmured something to her husband.

"Okay," Castle said, not sure how he'd managed to speak. He turned to the incense and searched it before he took a box of sandalwood. They hadn't tried that scent yet and he decided that it would be time that night as his wife had asked him to find something that would complement their lovemaking. He wasn't sure what it was that told him she wanted that; literally making love that night; but it came to him suddenly and he went over to where she was waiting for him at the end of the short aisle.

Looking at the box her husband held out to her Beckett sniffed at it and said, "That should be interesting."

"It should," Castle replied seriously. When she cupped his face with her hand he held it and pressed his lips to her palm before letting her go so they could pay. "Nothing for the girls yet," he told her as they were walking out. "Wait," he said when he spotted something among the merchandise. "Do you want to get them slippers?"

Glancing down at what he'd seen Beckett shook her head and said, "Remember Julia's? They fell apart after a month."

"True," Castle began. "Just a thought," he said before he followed her back up the street.

When they'd reached the street before the dim sum restaurant Beckett stopped and looked at husband saying, "It's getting later, let's head back."

"You're cold, aren't you?" Castle asked as it wasn't quite seven forty-five by then.

Beckett was going to deny that but finally she smiled at him and said, "A little."

Castle laughed and wrapped his arm around his wife before they crossed the streets to check out the stores on that side as they made their way back to their hotel.


	3. Going To San Francisco (Part 2)

"Rick?" Beckett asked, coming out from the bathroom to find her husband sitting on the chez lounge out in the living room. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned to find that his head was in his hands.

"Yeah are you?" Castle asked, nearly jumping up.

"Yeah," Beckett said softly, a little taken aback by his tone and the way he was staring at her so intently. "I'm not… I told you essentially I wanted to make love."

"So it's stopped," Castle stated. When his wife nodded, he sighed and said, "I'm sorry. I can't help but worry."

"I know," Beckett said, stepping up to him and wrapping her arms around his neck as tightly as she could. Brushing her lips to his she murmured, "But I'm okay now and we can try again."

"That's not what I'm concerned about," Castle said, pulling back enough so he could look in her eyes. "It's more you."

Beckett wasn't surprised to hear that and she nodded before saying, "I'm fine, still disappointed." When her husband looked concerned she quickly added, "But I'm reminding myself it's just a temporary delay like you said."

Though he wanted to say something Castle eventually nodded and they shared a tender kiss before he said, "Come on before we lose the chance to swim."

Taking his hand Beckett walked with him out of the room before they headed over to the tower part of the hotel, trying not to think of what had brought about their conversation. But since it had happened only the week before it was hard to shake and as they walked into the elevator she leaned against him and was thinking of it even as they began to talk about what else they might do the next day between lunch and dinner.

* * *

 _Looking at the screen of his laptop Castle glanced at the clock in the corner and then shook himself as he realized his wife had been gone for a while. They'd been writing that morning after they'd returned from taking the girls to school and they had the house to themselves as well as Alexis and Louis were driving around the eastern end of Long Island for the day. He got up and stepped out into the hall, looking down at the kitchen to see if she was there. But the room was empty and he frowned before calling, "Kate?"_

 _When there was no answer he frowned again and went over to the stairs, pausing on the first one as he looked behind himself at Macca and Rita who were standing there. "Stay here you two," he told them sternly. When they just stared at him he continued and went to his and his wife's room, hearing the sink running in the bathroom. "Kate, I hope you're not sick," he said as he went to the doorway and found her there._

 _Beckett turned off the water hurriedly and dried her hands, not looking at her husband before she told him, "I'm fine, not sick," in a rush. "I'm ready to start writing again so we should-" she began before her husband grabbed her and stopped her._

 _"What is it?" Castle said firmly as he could see her uncertainty. When he next saw her hesitating, he told her, "Kate, I need to know."_

 _At first Beckett was going to try and pass it off as nothing but with the way her husband was looking at her she knew it wasn't going to happen. Closing her eyes tightly for a moment she looked at him and said, "I… I'm menstruating."_

 _Castle stiffened and said, "Kate…" before he pulled his wife into his arms. He felt her press close to him and he told her, "I'm so sorry," as he rubbed her back gently._

 _"I don't know why this is so… painful," Beckett said, shaking her head as she moved back enough to look at her husband. "I've been telling myself that there was a chance we weren't going to be able to conceive that quickly. But…"_

 _"You were hoping," Castle finished for her. When she nodded, he sighed and pressed his lips to her forehead before he said, "I was too. But love this is only a temporary delay. We can try again if you still want to when you're finished."_

 _Beckett smiled and said, "Do you?"_

 _"Yeah, I really do," Castle replied. "But the final decision is yours."_

 _"I do," Beckett assured him. She tried to smile but it soon fell off her face and she tried not to let the tears threatening to form do so. When her husband hugged her tightly she whispered, "I'm still disappointed… I was," correcting herself. "I feel like I let our baby; whoever it is; down. Which is weird, I never thought I'd think something like that."_

 _"Well first you didn't let them down," Castle said firmly. "It's really a natural process."_

 _"I kept telling myself that," Beckett admitted as she took comfort in the way her husband was rubbing her back. "But still…"_

 _Castle was concerned at how dejected his wife sounded and he pulled away from her fully so he could hold her by her arms. "We'll try again, we just need to wait for this to finish. But we'll have the opportunity and I'm sure we'll have a baby love, don't think otherwise because it won't help."_

 _With how certain her husband sounded Beckett had to nod her head and she said, "I'm a little tired, do you mind if I take a nap before we go get Eliza?"_

 _"Not at all," Castle told her reassuringly, leading her over to the bed. He covered her with the bed sheet once she was lying down and he sat on the edge next to her. "You're a wonderful woman Kate," he said seriously as he began to stroke her hair lovingly._

 _Smiling Beckett murmured, "Thank you Rick, you're a great husband."_

 _"I try," Castle said with a shrug. They smiled at one another before he leaned down to her and shared a tender kiss with her before he sat back up. She fell asleep after that and he remained there for a time, waiting until she fell asleep and hoping she would feel better once she had time to forget what had happened to their chances for a time._

* * *

Breaking the water's surface Beckett wiped the water away from her eyes and turned to look for Castle. She saw him walking down the steps and smiled saying, "Had enough of the races?" as they had done that when they first entered the pool.

"For the time being, I'm sure we'll come back… and if there are any other pools too," Castle said. "Though hotel wise it's just where we're staying in San Jose and San Diego." He swam over to where she was standing and he said as he reached her, "Okay?"

Giving him a look Beckett wasn't surprised when it didn't work and she sighed saying, "It's hard not to dwell on it when I'm not busy thinking about something else." She then said with a smile at him, "I'm hoping that once we start making love again I'll forget."

"You're not-" Castle began to say.

"I'm not going to put everything on this," Beckett interrupted him quickly. "But I won't stop hoping; since I know you won't either."

Castle smiled and leaned over, kissing her briefly before he pulled back to say, "You know me too well."

"After all these years?" Beckett said teasingly. When he made a face at her she laughed saying, "Come on, another few laps and then we'll warm up." When he gave her an eager expression she said quickly, "Not like that."

"I had to hope," Castle said with a brief grin before they started to swim together to the deep end of the pool. They kept up with one another as they made their two circuits around the pool in its entirety. Since they were using different kinds of swim strokes they didn't talk until they were stopping at the stairs and standing. "That was nice and I have to say at this point we worked off the sundae."

Since she was going up the stairs ahead of him Beckett glanced back at him and said wryly, "If you're asking for another dessert the answer is no for me. For you, you can do whatever you'd like."

Castle couldn't help laugh and the look she was giving him at the same time before they walked over to the Jacuzzi. He turned on the jets before he slipped into the hot water with her and said, "Tell me something love."

"Oh?" Beckett asked in slight amusement as she raised her head to look at him.

"Yeah but not about you and Patrick," Castle said quickly. "Something about you and Julia; that I didn't get a chance to experience."

"Unfortunately there's a lot of that," Beckett said, frowning slightly.

"You needed to get used to being her mother," Castle told her. "I don't mind you taking the time to do that."

Sighing Beckett leaned back her head for a moment before she said, "I think there was one time when I was with Julia… this was a month exactly after I'd taken her home."

"That's it?" Castle asked, quickly guessing why that story was going to be special for her.

With a smile on her face Beckett nodded before she said, "It is, mainly because it took me until just before I was about to start dinner to remember." She couldn't help laugh softly when she saw the eager expression on her husband's face as he leaned into her and she began her story, almost reliving it as it was still very vivid in her mind.

* * *

 _"So what would you like to eat sweetie?" Beckett asked as she went over to the kitchen with Julia on her hip._

 _"I don't know Mommy," the little girl replied, kissing her cheek. She was startled when her mother paused and she said, "What is it?"_

 _"I think," Beckett replied as she had suddenly recalled that it was a month to the day since her adoption had gone through and she'd brought her daughter home. "That we should celebrate tonight."_

 _"What's that?" Julia asked interestedly._

 _"That we should have a little fun tonight," Beckett replied. "Do you want to go somewhere to play games?" she asked her daughter. When Julia nodded eagerly she set her down and said, "Do you want to go now or should we put on new shirts so we dress up a little?"_

 _"Dress up!" Julia said excitedly, jumping up in the air at her mother._

 _Laughing slightly Beckett led her over to her bedroom and she changed the little girl into a shirt she'd bought three weeks before when she'd gotten new clothing for her daughter._

* * *

"That's another story I'd like to hear," Castle interrupted his wife.

Smiling Beckett shook her head and said slightly laughingly, "Another time. Should I keep going?" When he nodded eagerly she thought back to where he'd interrupted her saying, "I changed after into a blouse and we left for Times Square." She wasn't surprised when her husband looked at her in slight surprise and she said, "It was her second time there."

* * *

 _"It's so… bright Mommy," Julia breathed out as she was looking at the lights of the square in awe. She then looked ahead of them; as she was being carried; and asked, "Where are we?"_

 _"Dave and Buster's," Beckett told her as she stepped into the entrance of the restaurant._

* * *

"It's funny to think you took her there," Castle said with a smile.

"Not really," Beckett said, pretending to be annoyed. She then said, "It was the best place to go since the first time I took her to Times Square it was just to look around before we went back home. Can I keep going?"

"Yes," Castle said quickly.

With a slight nod Beckett said, "Luckily where we were eating was away from all the games but she could still hear them."

* * *

 _"Sweetie stay still," Beckett said, trying to stop her daughter from squirming around too much on the booster seat they'd been given._

 _"But what is the noise Mommy?" Julia asked, trying to look around to see what was causing it._

 _"We'll see after we eat. Let me tell you what they have so you can pick," Beckett told her firmly. She was relieved when her daughter finally stopped and listened to her read off the kids' menu before Julia picked some chicken fingers. She couldn't help it and kissed her daughter's temple as the little girl giggled before she said, "I'm going to pick out a salad."_

 _"Oh… but don't you have more to eat?" Julia asked her._

 _With a smile Beckett answered, "It has shrimp on it and I'm telling you that to ask if you want to try one." When her daughter nodded she smiled again but had to order their food since their waiter had come over to them. While they were waiting she then turned her attention to Julia who was working on the activity book that she'd been given when they'd reached their table._

 _Julia felt her mother stroking her hair as she was going through a maze and looking at her said, "What's wrong Mommy?"_

 _"Nothing," Beckett assured her quickly with a smile. "I love you so much."_

 _A beaming smile on her face Julia said earnestly, "I love you too, lots and lots and lots Mommy."_

* * *

Beckett couldn't help pausing there and knowing her husband was waiting for her to continue she went across the Jacuzzi and said, "Come out with me."

Though he wanted her to continue the story Castle nodded and they got out of the hot water, sitting on the edge with their legs still inside.

"Sorry," Beckett told him with a smile. "It's funny to think how much that means to you."

"Oh I know," Castle said quickly. "That's one of the best parts of being a parent; how much the 'I love you' comes to mean a lot more than just an endearment." He wasn't surprised when his wife looked to him and said, "It's not just they love you, but they trust you and want to be with you."

"All from those words," Beckett said with a smile on her face.

"All from those," Castle echoed with a nod. He smiled widely at her and said, "Keep going, what happened next?"

"Nothing really, the food arrived so we needed to eat at that point," Beckett replied. "Which she did and very well; she always loved chicken tenders."

"And the shrimp she said she'd eat from your salad?" Castle asked.

"Oh she ate it," Beckett replied with a smile. "And once we had finished-"

"Dessert," Castle and Beckett said at the same time.

Smiling Beckett said, "It was a celebration remember. And I never gave her desserts constantly."

"No I got it," Castle replied. "What'd you order?"

* * *

 _Looking at the large round plate that was placed in front of them Julia looked at her mother and asked, "What is it Mommy?"_

 _"It's melted chocolate," Beckett replied. "Don't touch it," she said as her daughter was going to reach for the pot that had a candle burning underneath it to keep it melted. She picked up one of the small forks that went with it and said, "We're going to have our fruit first, but-" She stopped herself when Julia reached for a banana slice and popped it into her mouth and laughed, kissing the side of her head before she ate a strawberry herself._

 _"Can I put that into the chocolate?" Julia asked after she watched her mother eat a slice of banana herself._

 _"Let me help you," Beckett said, giving her the fork. She took the leaves off a strawberry and helped her daughter spear it before leading her hand to dip it. She only let her get a little bit of chocolate onto the fruit and then watched her bite into it. She laughed again when the juice dribbled a little down her chin and she wiped it off Julia before saying, "Good?"_

 _"Yeah," the little girl replied. "Can I have those now?" she asked as she pointed at the sweets._

 _"Have one more banana," Beckett said. After Julia had eaten the slice she said, "What do you want first?"_

 _"Marsh!" Julia cried out eagerly._

 _"Shh," Beckett said laughingly. "You can have that but don't put it all into your mouth."_

 _"Kay," Julia said eagerly. She ate the marshmallow in two bites as her mother watched before she watched Beckett eat a brownie. "I want that next," she told her._

 _"Okay," Beckett said, smiling lovingly at her._

* * *

"She copied you after that didn't she?" Castle asked his wife.

"Mmm-hmm, which was hard since I knew she wanted the brownies; she loved those," Beckett replied. "After we finished it we went to the games since I paid while we were still eating."

"I can't wait to hear about this," Castle said.

Smiling at the eagerness in her husband's voice Beckett said, "I was eager to see her reaction too so I was watching her really closely when we went into the arcade." She paused, smiling at her memory, before she shook herself while her husband watched closely and began to continue it once again.

* * *

 _"Wow," Julia breathed as she was looking around at all of the arcade games. She looked up at her mother and asked, "Can I play?"_

 _"Yes," Beckett said simply. "But first we need to get a card to pay."_

 _Following her mother; since she had her by the hand; Julia watched as Beckett got a card from the woman behind the desk and took it. "Is the money here?" she asked._

 _"We have credits," Beckett replied as she led her daughter over to the games again. "Why don't we try the skeeball first?"_

 _"Kay," Julia said eagerly. When they came to the game she asked her mother, "Do we get tickets?"_

 _"We do," Beckett said, not surprised her daughter had noticed the other player there with a cup full of them. She took the card back from Julia and after sliding it watched as the little girl waited for the balls to roll down. "Go ahead sweetie," she said when her daughter hesitated._

 _Smiling Julia picked up the first one and tried to roll it up the ramp but managed to only go just to the hump under the rings before it came back down to them. She picked it up and tried again before she managed to get it in the slot under the first ring. "See Mommy?" she asked eagerly._

 _"I saw," Beckett assured her. "Try the next one." She looked on as Julia threw four more before turning to her. "You're not done yet," she said in slight surprise._

 _"You throw the rest Mommy," Julia replied._

 _At first Beckett wanted to protest that but looking at the little girl's face she could tell that she was serious so she picked up the next ball. She managed to get a good score with the rest and she watched as her daughter squealed as she took the tickets. "Want to play again?" she asked her._

 _Julia was going to say yes but before she looked over at the game next to them and shook her head. "This one Mommy," she told her._

 _Going over to it with her Beckett studied it for a moment before she said, "You won't be able to throw sweetie."_

 _"No, you throw Mommy," Julia said quickly to her._

 _Surprised at that Beckett was going to ask if she was sure when she saw the look on her face. "Okay," she finally said, "But I'm only going to do this once."_

 _Julia nodded her head eagerly and watched as her mother grabbed one of the balls before throwing it at a clown on a shelf. Each time her mother knocked one over she jumped up and down and cried out before the game was over. "You got lots of tickets Mommy," she said eagerly as she watched her mother take them out of the machine._

 _"You might be able to get something nice," Beckett told her with a smile. "Come on, do you want to try something else?"_

 _Glancing around them again Julia saw someone with a cup with a lot of tickets in it at another game. "Can we do that?" she asked, pointing quickly._

 _Following where her daughter was looking Beckett saw there was a coin slider game and she said, "Alright, let's try it," taking her over there._

 _When they had reached it Julia watched the man playing already before he stopped and left. She looked up at her mother and said, "How do I play?"_

 _"First we need to get the coins," Beckett said as she slid the card. "And then I'll have to hold you so you can drop them."_

 _Julia waited eagerly for her mother to get the coins and as soon as she had them she reached up to her as she picked her up. Looking at the game from that height she said, "Where do I play?"_

 _"You have three places," Beckett said, pointing out the coin slots. "But you should drop it where there are some that are going to fall already. Can you see?"_

 _Her brow furrowed slightly Julia looked at the second shelf and then said, "There," pointing to the left._

 _"Drop it there," Beckett told her. She was surprised when her daughter waited and with a smile finally said, "Now."_

 _"Look!" Julia gasped as a number of coins fell over the edge._

 _"Keep going," Beckett urged her. Though her daughter seemed to have grasped the mechanics of the game she still waited for her to tell her when to drop the coins. They ended up playing with the rest of their credits; as Julia wouldn't let them leave; and when they had all their tickets they walked together to where the prizes were._

 _"Can I get something?" Julia asked hopefully._

 _"Yes, you have enough," Beckett told her. "I'll tell you what you can get."_

 _Nodding the little girl rushed over to the stuffed animals and looked at them before she reached over to a teddy bear that was blue. "This one," she told her mother._

 _"You have just enough," Beckett said with a smile. "Let's take him home."_

 _Julia reluctantly let go of the bear when her mother gave it to an employee but once she had it in her arms she held onto it tightly as they left for Times Square._

 _On the ride back home Beckett held her daughter on her lap, kissing her forehead as she listened to the little girl talking to her bear. She smiled and said, "Did you have a good time sweetie?"_

 _"The best," Julia said, beaming up at her mother. "You're the best mommy ever," she then added, speaking earnestly._

 _"Thank you," Beckett said, smiling at her. "I love you."_

 _"Love you too Mommy," Julia said, still smiling back at her. She then ignored her teddy bear to give her mother a hug, giggling happily as Beckett kissed the top of her head and hoping her mother knew that she was serious in what she'd said._

* * *

"That's a great story," Castle said when his wife stopped there.

"A great memory," Beckett replied.

"Did you ever celebrate that day again?" Castle asked.

Beckett didn't answer that at first, instead she pushed herself up to stand and once he was doing the same she walked with him over to the chairs they'd saved for themselves. Taking her towel she then said, "No, because it was more I was taking every day as a kind of celebration." She smiled as her husband looked at her and told him, "Corny I know but-"

"No it means you were enjoying being a mother," Castle interrupted.

Smiling Beckett said, putting on her cover up, "I guess I'm doing that." Before her husband could say anything she asked, "Ready?"

"Yeah, let's go," Castle said as he took her hand and they held onto each other tightly before they made their way to their room. He was watching his wife closely as they went and once they were inside the room; the door locked behind them; he said, "There's something I've been thinking love."

"Oh?" Beckett asked, turning to him after going to the bathroom so she could hang up her towel.

"We should take this trip as a…" Castle started to say before he trailed off.

Beckett was surprised when her husband shook his head and said, "Changed your mind?"

"No," Castle hurriedly told her. "I think we should try and put our trying to conceive out of our minds. Not stop," he added in a rush. "But not focus on it and instead make this trip about just us."

"I kind of thought that's what we were doing already," Beckett replied with a slight smile as her husband looked at her.

"Then we have no problems," Castle said as he followed her out into the bedroom. He took her hand to stop her from walking any further and said, "Starting now."

Beckett glanced at him but her husband didn't say anything as he took her over to the tub and she said, "What are you planning on doing?"

"You'll see," Castle said seriously as he had her turn around. Unzipping her cover up he helped her out of the dress and once it was on the floor he watched her step away from it before he untied the back of her bikini top.

"Hold on," Beckett said, smiling at him. She took care of it and watched her husband pull the bottoms off her hips before she stood in front of him. She was about to reach for his shirt when he stepped away and sat on the side of the tub to start the water. "Rick you don't need to-" she began.

"No I do," Castle replied. "And it's what I want; so it's both."

Beckett smiled at how serious her husband was speaking and she waited until the water was turned off and he helped her step inside. She sighed as she sat back and with her arms on the sides she looked at her husband saying, "I hope you'll let me know what you want to do to me."

"For you," Castle corrected her as he sat on the edge of the tub, dipping a washcloth into the water. "And I'll tell you. For starters I'll wash you."

Watching her husband lather up the fabric Beckett said, "Just my back." When her husband looked at her in surprise she smiled briefly and said, "I'd rather you wash my hair."

With a nod Castle waited for her to bend her knees and wrap her arms around them so he could reach her. Very carefully he ran the washcloth over her and he murmured, "After this I plan to take you out to bed."

"And then what?" Beckett asked as he was quiet. She was startled when he suddenly leaned over to her and nuzzled her ear, shivering heavily at the feel of it before she looked at him.

"No?" Castle asked, unable to help smiling as she looked at him in what seemed to be shock.

"Jerk," Beckett said though she was failing to hide her laugher at the same time. When he had rinsed off her back she helped him in washing her hair and once it was clean she stood. Her husband was grabbing a towel at the same time so she was able to step straight out into it before Castle was rubbing her dry. There was a part of her that was surprised he wasn't trying to make that even slightly sexual but knew that he was serious about catering to her that night. Though she didn't want him to really do that she couldn't help but be touched he was, making her tell herself to try and thank him if she could at some point that night.

When his wife was dry Castle reached for Beckett and picked her up, carrying her out to the bed which he was glad she had turned down earlier. Laying her down on the middle of it he went to light the incense they'd set up earlier. With that done he got on the bed and kissed her, keeping his body mostly away from her for the moment. When he felt her responding eagerly he deepened the kiss before he slowly pulled back. They stared at one another for some time before he was the first to move, kissing around her body thoroughly. When he was back up at her face he said, "Do you want me to-"

"No," Beckett interrupted before he could finish. She smiled when he appeared a bit startled and then said, " _I want you_."

With how firmly his wife was speaking Castle knew he wasn't going to be able protest and try to suggest something else. He breathed out and said, "Okay but you have to tell me or-"

Before her husband could finish that Beckett was grabbing for him and she pulled off his shirt, mussing his hair at the same time she was so rough. She smiled at him when he looked at her; stunned; and she said, "It's not going to work if you're still clothed."

"Yeah," Castle said absently. He forced himself to stand up next to the bed, taking off his trunks before he was back on the bed. "Luckily I wasn't wearing too much," he said as she was sitting up. He reached behind her and tucked some pillows there before he helped her lay back against them. He kissed her as soon as she was settled and let that go on long enough for them to tangle their tongues around each other repeatedly. He was panting a little as they stopped and he brushed his swollen lips against hers before he moved down her body, trailing his lips in a straight line until he had reached her mound glancing up at her as he paused.

Though she wanted to urge him to begin Beckett decided to let him control that and she was soon crying out in pleasure when her husband leaned down enough to begin to lap at her clit. She tried not to scream in reaction but it was difficult as she was already aroused. When she felt him pull away suddenly after that she murmured to him, "The bath you gave me," as she knew he was wondering why she was aroused.

Castle took that in stride and immediately went down to her clit again, carefully licking around it until finally he moved lower. When he had reached her entrance he carefully rolled his tongue around her folds, careful as he didn't want to set her off right away. When he had reached a rhythm that was better for her to withstand he did that for a little longer before he slipped his tongue inside of her. He groaned as she cried out above him and he moved repeatedly until he used his fingers to stimulate her clit at the same time. With his free hand he soon had to hold her down as she was writhing too much for him to be able to really work on her. But finally he had her movements down to a minimum and he was able to return to the pace he'd set before.

Though part of her body was being held down by her husband Beckett was still moving around as the pleasure he was giving her was overwhelming. She completely forgot about the fact she was supposed to tell him that she was close and it wasn't until her orgasm struck that she recalled. There was a part of her; a distant and largely quiet part; that said she should apologize to her husband for not telling him. But the rest of her was racked with the unending waves of pleasure that seared every inch of her body and she was crying out his name until things finally calmed down. She was breathing heavily and she whispered, "I'm so sorry."

When he felt he'd done everything he could to keep from just pulling away Castle moved and lay against his wife and pressed to her saying, "Don't worry, I didn't realize you were so aroused."

Beckett couldn't help smile and she said, "Now I know you are."

"I'm not ashamed of that," Castle said, knowing she could feel his arousal. "But you should relax for now."

Hearing the slight concern in her husband's voice Beckett looked at him and said with a small smile on her face, "It was that good."

"I didn't expect it to be," Castle told her though he was smiling. "But I'm glad that helped you out."

"What're you going to do now?" Beckett asked as she wasn't quite ready to begin again.

Castle didn't say anything, instead leaned down enough so he could crush his lips to hers. He did so hard and he felt her groan slightly before he parted her lips with his tongue. Delving into her mouth he grunted when her hand reached up and ran down his chest and he reached down to stop her before they had to breathe. "I'm going to finish before we even start," he warned her.

"I'd be taking care of you," Beckett said with a smile on her face again. She wasn't surprised when Castle nuzzled her cheek before she said, "But you're starting."

Smiling at her for a moment Castle kissed her again but kept that quick before he was moving to her neck. He pressed his lips around there until he went to her lips and kissed her once more. That time he let it get deeper and while they were busy letting their tongues duel together he was reaching up to her with his right hand. Very carefully he cupped her left breast, not surprised when she jerked her head back with a gasp. "Do you want me to stop?" he asked her. He was a little startled when she shook her head no and he smiled before he leaned down and kissed her again but gently.

"Are you just going to touch?" Beckett asked her husband, watching him look down at her. When he didn't say anything she nearly began to tremble but finally he was leaning down. She moaned in relief as he brushed his lips over her breasts and she grabbed him to pull him on her fully.

Though he hadn't wanted to Castle remained where he was and he continued his ministrations with her breasts. At first he just kissed over them; trying not to react too greatly to how she was reacting vocally; before he took her right nipple into his mouth. When he began to suckle at her he wasn't surprised when she grabbed onto the back of his head tightly. With that for encouragement he started to rub his tongue against her nipple as well, hoping she would grow aroused again soon, his own desire beginning to be too much.

When her husband had stopped after working over both her breasts Beckett watched him pull away before he breathed heavily and looked down at her. "Too much?" she asked him.

"Too much," Castle replied. When he caught his breath he said, "But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it."

"I know you did, pervert," Beckett replied, smiling. She was startled when he still looked serious and she asked him, "What is it?"

"I should warn you," Castle told her. "I'm going to make love to you."

"I knew already," Beckett said, surprised. She realized why he'd said that and she quickly told him, "I haven't changed my mind."

"Okay," Castle said before he kissed her without giving her a chance to reply. But he soon found out she didn't mind him doing that as she was responding to him eagerly. His lips throbbing once again he was a little dazed as to what he had wanted to do, only clearing his head when his wife grabbed his hips.

Beckett was relieved when Castle moved around and sank into her slowly with her help, sighing as she'd been well past the start of her arousal by then. She wasn't surprised when he paused after they were coupled completely but did her best not to urge him to move. She took the moment to just feel him within her and sensing how aroused he was she whispered, "This could go quickly."

"I won't fuck you," Castle replied, knowing that that was a kind of warning.

"After," Beckett said simply. She wasn't surprised at the way her husband's face seemed to light up in joy but she was distracted when he gave his first thrust. Though it was slow the sensation of him sliding against her was enough to make her cry out before he was pulling back. "Rick…" she breathed as he then set up a pace that was slow and also seemed to be deliberate. The sensation of every inch of him sliding against her was almost too much and she gasped a few times before her husband was bowing his head to hers. She met his kiss and was relieved at the distraction before she suddenly realized he'd kissed her for himself as well. She wasn't sure why but she found herself loving him even more for that and pulled him to her lips for a third kiss shortly after he'd ended the second one.

Castle, feeling much the same as his wife was, didn't stop kissing her until finally he had to get a better breath of air than the brief ones they'd been taking. After they'd done so he said to his wife, "I don't want this to be too quick." He expected her to say something and was startled when she didn't but soon after he got his answer as to why that was when she arched her head back and cried out hard. He kissed at her neck, feeling her pulse that was racing underneath his lips, before sliding up to her jaw which he kissed at tenderly until he heard her talking abruptly.

"You… need to stop?" Beckett was asking her husband. When he suddenly did so and pulled out of her she let out a heavy cry and said, "You should have told me."

"You probably would have said no," Castle replied though he wasn't serious. He wrapped his arms around her carefully as they pressed up against each other and said, "Just for a little."

"It doesn't matter how long we last," Beckett told him, trying not to sound frustrated which she was starting to feel. She glanced at him and said, "You're still virile."

"I never doubted that," Castle replied, accepting the look his wife gave him. He told her, "But if it's too quick then it's not going to be that enjoyable." When she opened her mouth to speak he hurried to say, "Unless we say we're going to be quick."

With a sigh Beckett said, "Alright but I think it's been long enough."

"Do you still want me to go slow?" Castle asked her as he moved to get back on top of her. He didn't mind she didn't reply as her legs were wrapping around his waist but when they were coupled once more he said, "Slow?"

"Please," Beckett said, slightly breathless as she was filled with the sensation of the length of his rigidity again and trying to cope with it. A soft cry escaped her lips when he thrust the first time and she hurried to follow him though she couldn't move much lying beneath him. The sensation of them moving together was a little intense though it was so slow and she whispered to him, "I might not last now."

Almost instantly Castle stopped moving and he said, "Then we need to keep doing this." He wasn't surprised at the annoyed expression on his wife's face but was when she didn't say anything. The idea of her wanting to drag things out made him shudder in pleasure before he finally said, "Let me start and stop."

"What only a few seconds?" Beckett asked wryly though her tone was a little disrupted with him shifting slightly within her.

"Yeah- no, I mean no," Castle said, having to correct himself as she was flexing herself around him. "No just let me… take care of you." He then looked at her closely and said, "Unless you want to do that too?"

"Don't move us," Beckett said firmly. And she was crying out once more as her husband proceeded to move again and she met his rhythm though it took her a little to take what he was making her feel. Once that had happened she reached down to place her hands on the point where their bodies were pressed together at the tops of their thighs. She could feel him moving and herself at the same time, the difference in their skin coming to her very quickly. Just as she began to let herself give in to what she was feeling he was stopping again and a heavy groan left her lips before she almost hissed his name.

"Not much longer," Castle said in a kind of promise to her before he began to kiss at her neck. He could feel the way his wife's skin was flinching slightly against his touch and kept on kissing at it to make it do that again until finally he was pulling away. Blowing gently on her moist skin he said, "Not much longer now."

At that Beckett cried out as her husband began to thrust and that time angled his hips a little more down. He managed to brush against her clit with that motion and she was soon crying out in absolute pleasure before she could speak. "Oh god… Rick I'm going to come soon… please," she started to say before she trailed off a little. She regained her speech and told him, "Promise me you'll fuck me after this, I want to feel you harder…"

"Yes… I will," Castle groaned heavily. "I'll fuck you until you beg me to stop." He was watching her at the same time and when he saw she was losing her rhythm with him he said, "Come for me Kate, I can feel you're so close. I want to come here inside you… Kate."

Her name ending up as a kind of command, Beckett let the last of her self-control go just in time as the tightly coiled sensation within her let go. She almost screamed her husband's name and began to chant it as her ecstasy was letting her do little else. She was moving wildly and couldn't stop herself as her body wouldn't let her. A second later she was distracted by what she was feeling when her husband began to thrust against her harder, signifying his orgasm as well. When she finally began to calm down she laid a little limply on the bed, holding her husband to her as he continued to thrust in her roughly, her name on his lips repeatedly.

When Castle finally stopped moving he nearly fell onto her and just managed to push himself up on his knees and arms before he forced himself to look down at her. "You… thank you," he started to say before he paused.

Beckett smiled and kissed him gently before she said, "You don't need to thank me, I should have thanked you after what you did for me earlier."

"I was glad to do it," Castle assured her.

"So was I," Beckett replied. She was surprised when her husband looked at her with slightly wide eyes before he nearly dove down to her. Their kiss was hungry and passionate and by the time they were stopping her right leg was running up and down his side. "Hmm we can't do this all night."

"What time does the museum open?" Castle asked.

"Nine-thirty," Beckett said. When her husband just looked at her she sighed and told him, "I would like to walk through the park a little before we leave to meet May for lunch." She sighed again as he withdrew from her and she turned quickly to lie against his side saying, "And by park, I mean Lincoln Park where the museum is."

"That would be nice," Castle said. "Alexis mentioned it was really nice there. You'll have your camera, right?" he asked his wife as he proceeded to caress her hair.

Smiling Beckett nodded and said, "Yes but just for a while."

"Of course," Castle said quickly. He smiled at her and said, "You're more eager for the museum."

"You do remember it was in _Vertigo_ ," Beckett reminded him.

"That's right," Castle replied, nuzzling her temple with his lips. He sighed and said, "I love you Kate. Now we're on the trip I'm really happy we're here."

"That's just because we just made love," Beckett said to him teasingly. When he made a quick face, she said, "I love you too Rick." She placed her hand on his chest and gently moving her fingers asked him, "When do you want to?"

"A little more time," Castle said, taking her hand and pressing his lips to her fingertips. He was going to say more when he began to kiss each one as she watched him, hoping he wasn't pushing her too much as he did want to wait a little longer before they started again. " _I'm addicted to you love_ ," he told her seriously.

" _So am I_ ," Beckett said, enjoying the feel of his other hand that had begun to stroke her back. She looked up at him again and said, "Think we could make love the whole trip." When his hand paused in what it was doing she smiled at him and told him, "I'm serious Rick."

Taking a moment to think of an answer Castle said, "I think we can… but we're going to switch right?" He realized how that sounded and said quickly, "I can keep up with you but-"

"Don't worry," Beckett said quickly with a smile. "I know what you meant and I agree with you; we need to take it easy some nights… that's what oral pleasuring is for." She watched as her husband shuddered and raised herself above him so she could kiss him deeply. She moaned as her husband held firmly to the small of her back and wasn't surprised in the least when he flipped her around onto her back. When they parted she smiled at him and said, "Ready?"

"Not yet," Castle said. He was slightly taken aback when she gave him a look before he said, "What? I don't want to go into it right away."

"We've been talking for a while," Beckett pointed out to him. She wasn't surprised when he gave her a look and she said, "Okay, okay…" When he let her go she nearly leapt at him, knocking him onto his back that time before they were kissing one another passionately. When he began to kiss all around her body, having flipped her onto her back again, she lay very still to allow him to do that. But before he could get close to her sex she was forcing him onto his back once more before she stopped and they stared at one another as they were panting heavily.

"Kate…" Castle started to say. He trailed off when his wife leaned down and she started to kiss over his body. He was groaning and also letting out a grunt here and there when her lips would touch him but soon she was pulling away.

Staring into each other's eyes Castle sat up as he helped Beckett down onto his erection while she held it and they were soon coupled yet again. They kissed hard as she began to move first and with him soon after following her they began to make love as roughly as they could. Holding onto one another tightly they knew they were going to be very hard pressed to stop, their desire for each other and the need to sate it overcoming any want for sleep as they spent their night pleasurably so intimate with each other.


	4. In The Streets Of San Francisco

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: Great receiving the feedback for the second chapter I posted last time so I'd like to get to my thank yous for that! TORONTOSUN (Nice to see you like how everyone is liking San Francisco. And interesting to see you think some of the back story is good though I was pleased to read that! I was so, so happy that you liked the story that Beckett told Castle about her and Julia going to Dave and Busters, I had wondered what readers would think of it so I'm of course glad you had the reaction you did to it!),  
MsNYC (It was great to see that you were so excited about me being back! And I'm not surprised you felt sad for Beckett with what happened in the flashback. I also wasn't surprised that you're sure they'll get their baby, or that you crossed your fingers for that too I thought you might have that reaction to that) and  
vetgirlmx (Great to see you thought it was a very good chapter! And I'm glad too that you caught them being happy to be there; part of that I figured for nostalgia's sake and also because of what you caught as well that they love the city since I wanted them to as I love the city myself. And interesting you can tell the trip is going to be different, I figured since they're on a book tour it wouldn't be too much and they've been to some of these cities already so like a visit to an old friend, if that makes sense. I wasn't surprised either to see you'd been wondering if Beckett was pregnant or not or that you weren't yourself that she isn't yet. I found your thought it shouldn't be so easy interesting since I had the feeling people would be thinking that this second time around. I'm pleased you loved how they handled it and that it was as you expected it with them of course feeling disappointed; sure supposed to as you said I liked that phrase; but also not discouraged and not surprised you liked that the most about their reaction. I'm so happy you commented on the flashback and that you loved it… doubly, lol, since I had a feeling you might like going that far back. And yeah, she was cute back then so it was fun for me to write her. You make a good point, Beckett was always great at being Julia's mom since the day they met her, but of course Castle had to give them time for that adjustment of course, lol. But I am pleased you think that about Beckett since it's what I was aiming for bringing Julia into her life, make her a mother and change what was important to her. And definitely glad you can see they seem to be enjoying their trip so far with it just starting and of course that you can't wait to see what happens next which you don't need to do anymore!).  
Thanks so much for the reviews, I loved reading them and of course am grateful for the time taken to write them out and send them to me!

A/N #2: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song _San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)_ written by John Phillips, from the single sung by Scott McKenzie.

In The Streets Of San Francisco

The sound of her panting breath nearly drowned out the faint sounds of the city outside the room and Beckett did the best she could to recover as her husband was doing the same above her. "Does this count as making love every day?" she asked him teasingly when she felt she could speak.

Castle couldn't help smiling and he told her, "Sure, so you don't want to do anything tonight?"

"Let's wait and see how we feel," Beckett replied. She watched him get off her and said, "Now though you owe me breakfast."

"I said I would treat you," Castle said.

"Thank you," Beckett said, resting against his side. She sighed and said, "We should get up now."

Quickly lifting his head Castle saw the time and sighed saying, "It's almost nine."

"Then we need to," Beckett said, sitting up though her husband tried to hold onto her. "Come on, I want to have breakfast here in the hotel." She wasn't surprised when her husband looked at her in surprise and told him, "I want a quick, small breakfast."

"I almost forgot about lunch," Castle said, surprised until he recalled what their plans were. "Alright," he said as he followed her to get up off the bed. "I'll get dressed."

"Thank you," Beckett said, smiling at him before she turned her attention to getting dressed.

Castle finished getting ready first and since he had done so he watched his wife as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail. "It looks cold out there," he told her.

"I have my coat," Beckett said, smiling at him.

"Okay," Castle said simply, leaving then to grab it. He got his own and said, "We need a cab."

"I was aware; we'll need that for after lunch," Beckett said. When she saw the thoughtful look on his face she said, "You've thought of somewhere to go?"

"City Hall?" Castle asked.

"We didn't go last time," Beckett said slowly. "Or the second time we came here either. A tour?"

"They walked around on their own," Castle replied.

"Okay," Beckett said before she took his hand and they left their room once she had her camera. They made their way down to the café inside the hotel where there were a few other people. Waiting in line she said, "Let's just get the yogurt and eat on the go."

"Okay," Castle said, not surprised at that idea. He bought the parfaits for them and grabbing some water they left and went out to the street in front of the hotel where they grabbed one of the cabs. Telling the driver where they wanted to go he sat back and ate quickly with Beckett as they made their way through the city and the last of the morning traffic until they had reached Lincoln Park.

Since they were dropped off directly in front of the museum Beckett immediately grabbed her camera, taking a picture of the building with its columns and arch in the middle. When the cab had left them, she turned back to the fountain behind her and took a picture of it as her husband finished the last of his water. "Awake now?" she asked with a smile.

"Yes, but still a little tired," Castle said honestly. When his wife glanced at him as they were walking up to the arch he said, "You're not?"

Beckett merely smiled before her husband was taking her hand and holding it tightly. When his fingers slid within hers she turned her head to him and said, "We can catch up on sleep."

"It's only an hour to San Jose," Castle protested. "And you know what May told you about driving on a weekday morning."

"Then we'll leave at ten, get to the San Jose at eleven," Beckett said. "You said our tour was at twelve?"

"Yeah, the signing's at five," Castle replied. "We should be back at the hotel after the Winchester in time to talk to the girls at seven their time."

"Then we should get up at nine," Beckett said.

Pausing for a moment Castle said, "So we'll pack tonight."

"I'm planning on it," Beckett replied with a smile. She felt him squeeze her hand just as they were passing under the arch and they came into a courtyard where the sculpture _The Thinker_ was.

Castle quickly let go of his wife's hand and watched as she began to take pictures of the statue, smiling as he watched her for a moment before looking at the figure himself. "Hard to not admire it again," he commented since they'd both seen different versions of the sculpture already.

"I know," Beckett said. "And now that that's done we need to see the rest."

Trying not to laugh at how eager his wife was Castle said, "I have to thank your parents." He wasn't surprised when she looked back at him and he told her, "For exposing you to art… why did that sound dirty?"

"Try saying they raised me to appreciate art," Beckett replied. When her husband tapped his nose, she smiled and said, "I am too and we're bringing the girls here."

"Even before we see the collection?" Castle asked jokingly.

"Alexis liked it and that says enough for me," Beckett replied easily as they walked inside. She waited for her husband to pay their admission and she took the map he handed her which she studied. "Okay," she said softly. "I can take pictures I was worried they changed that since she was last here. Let's make our way this way to the other side and then go down to the terrace level."

"I'll follow you," Castle replied. He walked after her to the first room; though they walked through several them to reach it; and they began to look at paintings from what he soon saw were the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. He wasn't surprised when his wife would take a picture, admire the painting next and read the plaque before she moved on. Since that took some time he said to her, "Do you want me to watch the time?"

"I'm not going to take that long," Beckett said. She then looked behind herself at her husband and smiled before saying, "I won't take a picture of each one but yes, you should."

Castle nodded and walked even with her, standing next to her as they went past several religious paintings until one caught his eye. "The patron saint of the city," he murmured as they were looking at an El Greco painting of the saint kneeling in front of a crucifix and venerating it.

"Then it's appropriate they have this," Beckett commented. She smiled at him and said, "Come on." She led the way through the rest of the rooms in that section and they came to a room that she could see had slightly later artwork from Europe. She glanced at her husband when he went in the opposite direction of her and she smiled before turning to the paintings in front of her. Taking pictures, she met her husband nearly in the middle of the room saying, "What do you think?"

"The variety is nice, a lot of these artists I've never seen before," Castle told her.

"Neither have I," Beckett said, looking ahead of them at the painting of a group of women; one of them crowning another with a wreath of flowers.

"They might tell me to do that," Castle said. As his wife turned her head to look at him he said, "Or just have you pull a Napoleon and crown yourself."

Beckett rolled her eyes and said, "I'll meet you at the doorway to the next room."

Castle watched her walking away and smiled to himself before he looked at the next paintings she had seen already. When they met at the first doorway he said, "Let me see the map?" Looking at it once he had it in hand he said, "Why don't we leave the sculptures for after the paintings?"

"Or just leave it last," Beckett told him. When he nodded, she took the map back from him and went over to the next doorway they'd both seen and she saw there were seventeenth century paintings there. When they came to the eighteenth century ones she said, "One of your favorites," as she came to two paintings first.

Castle looked at the first one and recognized who it was saying, "I thought you like Boucher too?"

"I do but I pointed it out to you," Beckett replied.

"Yeah," Castle said slowly. He knew his wife was watching him he said, "I'm not looking at that," as the first painting was of two women who were partially nude. "Look at the colors."

"I realize that," Beckett said, trying not to laugh as he looked both panicked and irritated at what he thought was her presumption. " _I never thought you… thought anything sexual about paintings_."

"Oh," Castle said slowly.

"I was wondering what had your attention," Beckett said.

"I'm just wondering what she's doing with that gold… line," Castle explained. "Teasing her or pulling it out of her mouth?"

Looking at that Beckett said, "I can't tell."

"This one is interesting," Castle said as he looked at the next painting by the same artist.

"Since they're drunks?" Beckett suggested as the two figurines were supposed to be bacchantes.

"Can't tell, there are some grapes here," Castle said, motioning to the right side. "And an amphora of what I'm sure is wine-"

"Their cheeks Rick," Beckett interrupted him. When he looked at her she shook her head and continued down the paintings. "I'm fine," she said as she could feel him watching her as she walked.

Seeing that they'd come to the last room of the paintings Castle said to his wife, "Look at this one," wanting to change the subject. Taking her hand, he pulled her over to the one he'd seen and waited for her to read the title which was _Holy Week in Seville_.

"We need to go back there," Beckett said with a smile as they hadn't stayed for too long in that city when they'd been in Spain.

"I know but we have to go back to Alhambra," Castle said. When his wife looked at him he said, "Seriously, we've been before but just the one time. It-"

"Wasn't enough," Beckett finished for him. She smiled and said, "I think the same and we should go for Eliza's sake."

"So she'll remember better the second time around?" Castle asked before a painting caught his eye.

"Yes, what did you see?" Beckett asked as her husband was pulling her over to another painting. She looked at it and smiled saying, "It's accurate, they would wear that much that elaborately," as it was called _The Russian Bride's Attire_.

"It's interesting," Castle said. "But how could you move?" he asked her as he looked over at her while she took a picture.

"Likely not that well," Beckett said before she walked along the wall at that point to go around the room. Moving into the first sculpture room she was pleased to see that many them were from Rodin since she enjoyed his works. She looked closely at the pieces that were his until she stopped at one and looked at her husband who was on the other side of her.

"You like this one?" Castle asked her with a smile.

"It's hard not to, his work is meticulous," Beckett answered, lowering her camera. "And you can see their passion though the kiss itself is largely hidden."

Studying the two in an embrace Castle nodded before he said, "It is nicely done. What about that one?"

Beckett looked at it, of a young man with his arms stretched back, and said, "It's not bad."

"Okay," Castle said, trying not to laugh. He followed her around the rest of the sculptures, that time enjoying seeing her reaction to what there was in the room before they had finished what was in the three. He saw her looking at him and he looked at the map quickly before he told her, "This is British Art."

Nodding her head Beckett went in the room first and after looking at the paintings there on display she said, "Looks like it was mostly portraits."

"The British artists were good at that; that and landscapes," Castle said. "Keep going?"

"Yes, we're nearly finished with this floor," Beckett told him as they continued. When he looked at her in surprise she smiled and said, "I remembered the map."

Castle nodded and they walked through the rest of the rooms until they came to the last section on that floor which went from Neoclassical to Post Impressionism. When he heard his wife murmur in surprise in one room he watched her go to a tall painting he recognized as being a Renoir. "You like it?" he asked her.

"It's beautiful," Beckett breathed out, looking over the painting of water lilies; which was its name as well. She was a bit taken aback when her husband kissed her temple and she looked at him, smiling as she said, "You're enjoying this as much as the paintings aren't you?"

"I may be," Castle said. When his wife's reaction to that was backing up he was surprised before he realized she was taking a picture of the painting, needing to back up as it was a little over five feet tall. After she'd taken it he looked at the screen of her camera, seeing that the picture had come out. "Great job," he told her before they finished the room. They headed to the terrace level then and came to the ancient art which made him say, "One of my favorites."

"Mine too," Beckett said, watching him looking at a figurine of Aphrodite. They walked a little slower there; to take in the details of the items that they saw; before they had reached the end of what was a long room.

"One thing left," Castle told his wife as he was looking at the map again. "Ceramics."

Beckett nodded before she went first over to the room she had seen on the paper, not surprised at how much the museum had in its collection. They walked together through it and she took a few pictures here and there before they were going to the gift shop. There she said to her husband, "We can get them a toy and a book here."

"Really," Castle stated.

"Really," Beckett echoed as she laughed softly. "Get something for Julia."

Nodding Castle turned his attention to what there was for kids and he glanced around before something caught his eye and he picked it up. Looking over for Beckett he saw her doing the same to find him and he walked over to her. "Hey, I thought this might be nice for her," he said, showing her the box that had two San Francisco stamps. "For her letters."

"Good choice," Beckett replied. "And this for Eliza," showing him the toy camera kit that she'd found.

"We both made good choices," Castle said. "What about books?"

"I spotted one for Julia already," Beckett replied. She took her husband over to where the kids' books were and picked one up saying, "She's interested in it."

"She is," Castle said, holding the tome on mummies for kids. "And Eliza?'

"You don't want to look?" Beckett asked him with a smile. When he shook his head, she turned her attention to the books and picked up one.

"It's perfect," Castle said before his wife could turn to him. He smiled at the book on the prima ballerina Anna Pavlova and nodded saying, "Especially now she wants to dance too."

Beckett was smiling herself and said, "We'll end up with a family of dancers."

"Not the majority though," Castle replied as he took everything up to the front.

Beckett didn't say anything to that, instead waited for him to finish paying before she said, "We only have an hour before we have to be at May's offices."

"We have time to walk around here," Castle told her, holding onto the bag with what they'd bought.

"We do, come on," Beckett said, taking his hand and pulling him outside. They walked past the museum until they got to where they could see the Golden Gate Bridge where she took a few pictures. Looking down at it something seemed to come to her and she said, "We don't have time to go."

"I didn't think so," Castle said. "Not when we were talking about going to City Hall too."

"I hope we have time for everything," Beckett said.

"We should," Castle replied. He saw she wasn't taking anymore pictures so he took her hand before they continue the path they were on. He wasn't surprised when his wife kept stopping to take pictures and he kept his eye on the time until he had to tell her, "We need to go Kate."

"Alright," Beckett said, tearing her eyes from the view of downtown to him. "Do we need to go back to the museum?"

Spotting a cab coming down the street Castle raised his hand until it stopped for them and he followed his wife into the back before he said, "Letterman Digital Arts Center." When they'd started he said to his wife, " _How many pictures did you take_?"

" _A number of them_ ," Beckett replied, smiling at his Irish. She looked around the buildings they were passing and took more pictures when they were stopped before they reached what she knew was the Presidio. They were entering it from a different direction than they had the first time they'd gone to May's office so she was trying her best to take pictures when she could. When they'd reached it, she stepped out first and got her phone out, checking to see if her friend had texted her. She wasn't surprised to see there wasn't anything there and she looked at her husband saying, "We have time to walk around."

"Great," Castle said and they went through two of the buildings before they came to a circular piece of concrete where they could see the Palace of Fine Arts in the distance. He looked out while Beckett was taking pictures and was going to speak before he heard her phone ringing. "Great, I'm starving," he told her.

Giving him a look Beckett was quick to answer her phone and said, "May?"

"Hey Kate, are you guys here?" the woman asked.

"Yeah, we're near the Starbucks," Beckett told him.

"Come inside, I'll meet you in the lobby," May said quickly.

"Does she have time to have lunch?" Castle asked as his wife had the phone on speaker.

"Yes, but she probably wants us to hurry so we don't lose time for it," Beckett said, glancing at him. She wasn't surprised when he just looked at her and she took his hand before they walked to the lobby of May's office, finding her just coming out as they stepped inside.

"Made it," May said with a laugh, hurrying over to the two. She wrapped her arms tightly around her friend and said, "It's so good to see you; even though it was a month."

Laughing at the way she'd said the last bit rapidly Beckett pulled away and said, "I wish we could have stayed longer and that our kids were here too."

"Another time," Castle said, shaking May's hand when she turned to him.

"At least we get to see each other," the woman said. "Let's get you checked in so we can go eat; I'm really hungry I've been working like crazy." May led them over to the desk, signed them in and she led them around to some elevators before she said, "At least with you two were here before so I don't need to waste time with a tour."

"Did you not eat breakfast this morning?" Beckett asked.

"I had to come in early, it was a while ago," May answered as they went into the elevator.

"What're you working on?" Castle asked.

"A music video," May said. She turned to her friend and said, "But I want to take a break from work, what about you two?"

"There's not really much to say," Beckett said.

"We flew out here and-" Castle started to add.  
"I know that already," May said with a smile. "What about before? Between you two leaving and you getting back from summer vacation with your family."

"Nothing really," Beckett replied. She had to pause as the car stopped and they stepped out, following her friend as she headed down the hall. "We started our next book."

"About what I expected," May said with a smile over her shoulder at her. They reached the cafeteria and she led them to get in line before they split up to get their food.

"He loves cheeseburgers," Beckett told her friend as she joined her in line and May looked to see where her husband was in line to get one. "And he remembers the one he had here last time."

"I'm glad he enjoyed it," May said. "They are good." She and Beckett grabbed some pasta and when they were walking to where the drinks were she said, "There's a fantastic local merlot that you need to try with your Alfredo."

Beckett hesitated a moment before she said, "I'm not feeling like wine, I'll-" She stopped herself when May grabbed her arm and asked, "What?" in slight annoyance as her friend had nearly caused her to drop her tray.

"Are you…" May began to say before she looked around them. "Are you pregnant?" she whispered.

Beckett rolled her eyes and then said, "No," as firmly as she could. She looked to see where her husband was and said, "Come on I want to sit down."

"And talk," May said firmly. She wasn't surprised by the look on her friend's face but she led her to the registers where they met Castle. "So, I'm going to take you out to the table we sat at before."

"I was hoping," Castle said, wondering why his wife was glancing to him. When he had paid for their meal he let May walk ahead of them and said to his wife, " _What happened_?"

" _I said no to some wine and she asked if I was pregnant_ ," Beckett replied.

Castle opened his mouth to react but paused before he sighed and said, " _I guess your friends know you_ Kate."

" _I know_ …" Beckett said. They reached the door that May was holding open and once they were sitting around the table she said, "I-"

"You're trying," May said. When the two looked at her she shrugged and said, "I did the same when we were trying for George; turning down liquor and coffee like crazy. How long?"

"Just since last month," Beckett replied, glancing at her husband and seeing he looked a little embarrassed. "But nothing yet so I'm taking precautions."

"Oh," May said when they'd started to eat. "You can't ride now either." When her friend shook her head she said, "Too bad but I hope the reason is worth it for you."

"It is," Beckett replied with a slight smile on her face, knowing her friend was kidding.

"I know you didn't want to talk about it but who is the music video for?" Castle said when his wife glanced at him.

May opened her mouth to speak when the door to the balcony they were on opened and she looked with her friends to see a tall African American man stepping out.

"You're Mrs. French?" the man asked.

"Yes," May said slightly uneasily though she realized she had seen the man earlier that morning. "Oh, do they need me in the-"

"No ma'am," the man replied. "Mr. McCartney needs a place to eat lunch; he'd like to sit out here."

"Uh… I guess we can go," May said, looking at Castle and Beckett and not surprised they looked a little stunned at the name.

"No, he wants to sit with you," the man replied. When the woman, and the two with her, nodded he said, "Thank you, I'll be right outside."

"You're working on Paul's video?" Beckett managed to hiss to her friend when the man left them.

All May had a chance for was a nod when the door opened again and she jumped up with Castle and Beckett as the singer walked out with his wife that she had met earlier. "Mr. McCartney, are you sure you don't want us to-" she started to say.

"No, no," the singer said with a smile. "Please stay, I just wanted to sit here for your fabulous view." He and his wife set their trays on the table and he said, "That and I recognized you two."

Looking at each other Beckett thought her husband would be the first to speak but instead he just looked at her. Deciding one of them needed to say something she turned back to the singer and said, "You know our books?"

"We both read them," the singer's wife said as she and her husband shook their hands.

"It's great to meet you," Castle said to the woman. "But we've met you before, a while ago."

"It was at one of my concerts I believe," the signer replied. "Oh, and you can just call me Paul, this is Nancy. Be a bit easier to speak if we just use our names," he said as they were all sitting down.

"We're surprised you remember us," Beckett said.

"Well I knew who you were," Paul said, looking at Castle.

"You can call us Rick and Kate," he said in a rush. Castle then smiled when the singer's eyebrows rose for a moment and said, "And you remembered her once we started writing together."

Nodding Paul said, "You two married shortly after my concert I'd heard, had a family and settled down."

"We have two daughters and I'm his daughter's stepmother," Beckett said.

"Do you have a picture at all of them?" Nancy asked. "Or is that too presumptuous of me to ask?"

"No," Beckett said, handing over her phone quickly. "Our oldest daughter; that you met before your show; is Julia and our youngest is Eliza."

"They're adorable," Paul said. "Quite a coincidence she's wearing the shirt she is here," he then said as he handed back the phone to Beckett.

"I think you may remember she's a fan of yours," Castle said slowly.

"I did," Paul said, laughing slightly. He looked at May and said, "Sorry to rob you of your friends a bit here."

"It's alright," May said, waving her hand. "We weren't expecting to be joined."

"So now you're here too I can ask what the music video is for?" Castle asked.

"For my new album that's coming out in a couple months," Paul answered. " _Floored Through Days_."

"That's a great title," Castle said hurriedly.

Beckett wasn't surprised when her husband then began to talk to the singer about playing around with words and she turned to Nancy saying, "Have you come out here from NYC?"

"You two used to live there didn't you?" the woman asked. When Beckett nodded she smiled and said, "We visited quickly before continuing on."

"Have you gone around the city?" May asked.

"A bit," Paul said. When the women looked at him and Castle he said, "We've finished. You know I'm a bit surprised you haven't asked about the plot for the video."

Glancing quickly at May who began to laugh, and quickly smothered it, Beckett said, "I think you wouldn't say."

"I agree, we'd need to wait until it premieres, right?" Castle asked. When the singer smiled he took that as the response and said, "Well could we know when it will do that?"

"That you can," Paul said. "In six weeks."

"Will you manage to have it finished by then?" Beckett asked, looking at her friend. She was slightly startled when May smiled and said, "Were you filming anything?"

"No, we finished up we just needed to show him what we were doing with some of the special effects," the woman said. "And speaking of which…" she said as she had finished her food. "I need to get back to work. Don't worry," she said quickly to the singer who was about to speak. "I'm seeing them tonight for dinner; a double date."

"Have fun," Nancy said first as the woman was shaking hers and her husband's hands.

"Yeah and remember, no details," Paul said in a warning tone though he soon smiled.

"I won't say a word," May said with a laugh. She turned to Castle, shaking his hand warmly saying, "Luke's eager to see you again."

"Tell him I feel the same," Castle replied.

Standing up quickly Beckett hugged her friend tightly and said, "We're spending more time together tonight right?"

"Of course," May replied. "You're seeing our apartment remember."

"Wait, do you need to escort us out?" Castle asked when the two women let go of each other.

"No, I can have my aide do that," May said. "And I'm sorry but-"

"You're working it's okay," Beckett assured her. She watched May leave and wasn't surprised when she sat down that Paul was asking how she knew the woman. "We went to Stanford and we were on the equestrian team too."

"I'd heard about that," Paul said. "You two ride horses."

"We have horses," Castle said, smiling at his wife when they looked at each other. "And we ride them when we can."

"Andalusians," Beckett said as the singer was opening his mouth.

"A beautiful horse," Nancy commented.

"I've ridden one; in Spain," Paul then said. "An interesting gait that one has."

"Paul," Castle said then when the singer's words seemed to have finished. "Do you mind if we call our daughter right now?"

"Your oldest?" the singer asked. When the two nodded he then said, "Alright."

"Just to say hello to her," Beckett said quickly as her husband got his phone. "She loves your music."

"And you as well, you're her favorite singer and we mean that literally," Castle said.

With a smile on his face Paul asked, "Her name is Julia?"

"It is," Castle said as he dialed the number for Alexis' phone and set it to speaker.

"Hello?" Alexis said once she answered her phone, wondering why her father was calling so soon.

"Hey sweetheart," Castle said, smiling at her. "Mind if we talk to Julia?"

"Sure," the young woman replied slowly. "Jules!"

"She and Eliza call her that," Beckett explained to the two in case they would wonder.

"Hi Daddy!" Julia said when her sister handed her the phone. "How come you called? And where's Mommy?"

"I'm here sweetie," Beckett said, taking the phone.

"Hi, why'd you call?" Julia asked again after she'd waved at her mother.

"We had lunch with someone we asked to say hello to you," Beckett replied and with that she handed the phone over to Paul, going with Castle to stand behind the singer so they could see their daughter's reaction.

"Hullo Julia," Paul said, smiling at the girl's mouth dropping open at the sight of them. "Your parents were right, we've just had a spot of lunch and they asked for me to say hello before we part."

"Oh… you… thanks for having lunch with them," Julia said shyly.

"It was very nice, you've been here before?" Nancy asked her with a smile.

"You… you're Nancy?" Julia asked, startled to see the woman.

"I am," the woman said.

"Where are you?" Julia asked, looking behind the two at her parents.

"Where May works," Beckett replied.

Julia thought for a moment and she was just about to say something when her little sister tried to grab the phone. "Wait Lizzy!" she said in surprise. "I'm talking to Paul and-" she began to say, having to stop as the statement made her feel like she was in a dream.

"Is Paul a doggie?" Eliza asked, not realizing who that was. When her sister set down the phone enough for her to see she gasped and said, "It's The Beatles!"

"Just one," Paul said as they were all laughing.

"Hi! Do you sing?" Eliza said, waving at the man.

"I do but not at the moment," Paul replied. "Are you two behaving yourselves while your parents are gone?"

"We are," the girls said at the same time.

"Good to hear," Paul said. He was surprised when the two suddenly called to someone and he saw a red-haired woman before he said, "You must be Alexis then."

"I am," the young woman said, stunned to find her hearing was still good as she'd heard the singer speaking. "They're well behaved Dad, Kate."

"We're glad to hear that," Castle said, glancing down at the three. "But we'll talk to you later; say goodbye to Paul and Nancy we need to let them go."

Watching the two say goodbye to the three girls Beckett smiled as Paul handed the phone back to Castle and she asked the three to hold on. Setting the phone down after taking it from her husband she and Castle shook their hands before saying goodbye to the singer and his wife. When they'd left she picked up the phone and said to girls, "Like your daddy said we will call you later okay? We're about to leave for City Hall right now and maybe walking around Union Square too-"

"You can walk from there to the hotel," Alexis interrupted.

"We can?" Castle asked in surprise.

"Yes, it's a twenty minute walk," Alexis replied.

"Do you know how to go exactly?" Beckett said. When her stepdaughter nodded she told her, "Tell us the streets."

"I'll text them to you," Alexis replied.

"When will you call us?" Eliza asked.

"When we're back in our room, we promise," Beckett said.

"We know, we just want to talk to you," Julia replied. She said goodbye with her sisters to their parents and once the screen of Alexis' phone was dark she said in a rush, "Can Mari come over."

"Sure," Alexis said before her sister was literally tearing out of the house. She smiled at her littlest sister and said, "I think she's going to tell her."

"Yeah," Eliza said, nodding. She became thoughtful before she said, "Was that really Paul?"

"It is, our mom and dad had lunch with one of the greatest singers there are," Alexis said. She let out a little laugh and said, "Let's go listen to his music." At her sister's cry of, "Yeah!" she said, "And tell Louis." She took Eliza's hand when the little girl held hers out to her eagerly and they left the room together to find her boyfriend and let him know what had just happened.

After leaving her home Julia ran down the sand to the Foster home and once she was on the patio she went to the sliding door, knocking on it as hard as she could before David was coming up to it. "Hi," she said, breathing hard.

"What's wrong Julia?" the man said, startled at how hard she must have run to the home.

"Nothing, my sister said Mari could come over," Julia said. "Is it okay if she does?"

"Alright," David said before he heard his daughters and wife behind him. "It's Julia," he told them. "She's asking if Mari can go over, I said okay."

"Can she stay to dinner too?" Julia burst out without thinking, hoping her sister wouldn't mind she'd asked.

"Oh, sure," Rebecca said, looking over at her oldest. She smiled and said, "Tell Alexis we want her back by eight."

"Sure, thanks," Julia said, beaming at the adults.

"Thanks Mommy, Daddy," Mari said. She took Julia's hand and after waving to her little sister she walked with her best friend outside where she asked, "What is it?" able to tell she wanted to say something to her. She was a little surprised when Julia didn't reply but kept quiet until they were in the house and rushing up to her friend's room where they sat together on the bed. She watched the girl, waiting for her to speak and tell her what was going on before finally she smiled at her widely making her even more curious.

"I got to talk to Paul," Julia said almost breathlessly.

At first Mari looked confused; wondering if that was a classmate, before her eyes widened. "You… really?" she asked, shocked.

"Yeah, Mommy and Daddy were eating lunch with him and they called me so I could talk to him," Julia said.

"What was he like?" Mari breathed.

"He was nice," Julia said, a wide smile on her face. "His wife was there too and she said hello to us."

"Wow, that's so cool," Mari said. "I wonder if he's gonna be friends with your mom and dad now."

"I wish," Julia replied. "Still, they got to talk with him…"

"What?" Mari asked as her friend trailed off.

"I wonder if they talked about horses with him," Julia said.

"Maybe," Mari replied. "I'll remind you since I'm gonna be here when you talk to them."

"Oh yeah," Julia said with a smile. That dropped off her face and she whispered to her friend, "I didn't ask 'lexis about you coming for dinner."

"Oh," Mari said slowly. "You don't think she'd say no do you?"

"Say no to what?" Alexis asked as she was walking into the room with Eliza running ahead of her.

"Inviting Mari for dinner," Julia said slowly as she looked at her friend.

"That's alright," Alexis said. "But you know next time-"

"I ask you first; I'll try to remember 'lexis sorry," Julia told her softly.

"It's okay; I'm guessing you were still excited after talking to Paul?" Alexis suggested.

Nodding her head Julia looked at Mari and asked, "Could we go ride our bikes?"

"Where?" Alexis asked.

"Around the house on the street," Julia said.

"Go ahead but you need to ask Mari's parents if she can do that," Alexis told her.

"We'll go right now," Julia said gratefully as she got off her bed with her friend. She went to her sister and handed over her phone asking, "What time do we need to come back?"

"At five forty-five," Alexis replied while she was setting the alarm on her sister's phone. "Be careful."

"We will," the two girls said.

Watching them go Eliza looked up at her big sister and said, "Mari will get to go too."

"I know," Alexis said, looking down the hall as they walked out of the room. "They're going to ride bikes," she said as her boyfriend came up to the top of the stairs.

"She'll be excited the rest of the night," Louis said. "Since we're with you Eliza," he then directed to the little girl. "What would you like to do?"

With a smile Eliza said, "The doggies!" And with that she led the two outside with Macca and Rita where they could play fetch and stay in the backyard until it was time for dinner.

At that same time Mari was taking her bike from her home and she walked it out to where Julia was waiting. "I almost thought my mom was gonna say no," she told her friend as she got onto it.

"Why?" Julia asked.

"I dunno," Mari replied, shrugging. She then asked, "Are we gonna race?"

"Yeah but we should ride around first," Julia said. She then said, "I'm glad we had the day off from classes."

"Just one day though," Mari replied as they rode over to the end of the street. "Did you tell your parents after you talked to Paul?"

"No, I forgot," Julia replied. She looked thoughtful and said, "I better tell them then."

"Yeah," Mari said with a nod. "Race?"

"Yep, ready?" Julia asked. When her friend nodded she said, "Okay, one… two… three!" And with that they took off together down the street, pedaling as fast as they could and laughing wildly before they reached the driveway to her home.

* * *

"Impema!" Eliza cried out.

"Not impema," Julia said trying not to laugh.

"It's _Impedimenta_ ," Alexis whispered to the little girl.

" _Impe-dim-men-ta_!" Eliza said, pronouncing the words slowly.

"Oh, you got me," Louis said as the little girl had been pointing the wand at him. "Well, stopped anyways."

"Now what?" Eliza asked the others as she waved her wand back and forth. Her sister came up to her and whispered in her ear and she said, " _Stupefy_!" though her pronunciation was a bit off. She laughed as Louis immediately fell onto the floor and she skipped to him saying, "Did I win?"

"I think you did," Louis replied, sitting up. He laughed when the little girl hugged him and said thank you and he hugged her back quickly before saying, "Isn't it-" when he was interrupted by his girlfriend's text alert ringing. "That'll be them," he commented.

"It is," Alexis said, reading the message she'd gotten. "Come on, let's go talk to them." She took Eliza's hand to start heading over to the family room when she looked back to see if Julia and Mari were following. She smiled to see the two were talking quietly to each other and she said, "Girls." When they looked up at her she said, "You can keep wearing your robes and you can play after."

Following the three into the family room Julia said, "That was a lot of fun but we really have to do that with Daddy once he's back."

"And Mommy," Eliza said quickly.

"Her too," Julia said with a smile before they turned their attention to the TV Alexis was turning on.

"Hi Mommy, Daddy!" the girls said together.

"Hey, you guys," Castle said first as Julia and Eliza were waving while Mari was doing so slightly less enthusiastically.

"How are you?" Beckett said.

"We're good," Julia said.

"Yeah, we were playing Harry Potter before," Eliza said. "I got Louis."

"Was he a dementor?" Castle asked with a smile at how enthusiastic the little girl was.

"No," Eliza giggled.

"I was a dark wizard," Louis commented.

"Oh, then good thing she did get you," Castle said. "So we want to hear how school went today."

"And Julia," Beckett said. "We want to hear why you didn't have class after school."

After Alexis had explained that the girls hadn't had school that day Eliza quickly talked about what they'd done before their phone call earlier. "It was lots of fun," the little girl said. "Oh, and I played with 'lexis and Louis after, with the dogs in the back after we talked with Paul."

"That does sound like fun," Beckett said lovingly at her youngest's exuberance. "Okay I think that means it's your turn next," Beckett said to Julia.

With a smile, the girl relayed her day though she and her sister had spent more of it together, ending with playing just before they came into the family room. "So I think, if Harry Potter was real," Julia finally said. "We'd do pretty good."

"That's good to hear," Castle said. "It never hurts to have a wizard in the house."

After she had stopped laughing with her sister and Mari, Eliza said, "What about you?"

"Well first we went to Lincoln Park and the Legion of Honor, the art museum your sister went to," Beckett said first.

"Did they have nice paintings?" Julia asked.

"Great ones," Castle said. "Your mom took a number of pictures so you can see them when she shows you."

"But can we go there?" Eliza asked.

"When we're here next," Castle promised her.

"He's right," Beckett said, not surprised when the two girls looked at her. "But when that is we have no idea."

"But we will go back," Julia said.

"Yes, don't worry," Beckett replied laughingly. "After we went around the park for just a little bit before going to where May works; you remember Julia."

"I do, did you see the fountain with Yoda?" the girl asked.

"We did," Castle replied. "And we went straight to lunch as soon as we met up with May-"

"And that's when we had lunch and Paul came out to the balcony where we were eating," Beckett finished.

"Why was he there?" Mari asked.

"Because he was working on a music video and May's working on it too," Beckett explained.

"Too bad you couldn't talk to him more," Julia said. "Or after today."

"I know but we're lucky we even got the chance to talk to him like we did today," Castle commented.

"Oh!" Julia said suddenly. "Did you talk to him about horses?"

"We did," Beckett said, not surprised when her husband looked at her. "But just for a little bit."

"And we should tell you he's a fan of ours," Castle said, smiling at his wife.

"That's not a surprise," Alexis commented. She wasn't taken aback when her father and stepmother turned their attention to her and she told them, "Why else would he sit with you? He knew who you were so he trusted you."

"He might have seen May first," Beckett said though she knew it was likely both were true. "And after we talked to you guys we headed out to City Hall which was nice though we weren't there for too long. And then we walked back to the hotel to talk to you again."

"What are you going to do now?" Alexis asked them.

"Likely relax until we need to get ready for dinner," Castle said, looking at his wife who nodded. "And you?"

"Play Harry Potter until Eliza needs to go to bed," Louis commented.

"And after until Mari has to go home," Julia said.

"Then it sounds like you've got everything set," Beckett said. "So, we should let you go to say goodnight."

"I'll do that first," Castle said. "Goodnight Eliza, Julia and you Alexis. I love you."

"Love you Daddy," Eliza said. "Have fun tomorrow."

"I love you too," Julia said. "But what are you going to do tomorrow?"

"We're going to San Jose in the morning," Beckett replied. "We'll tell you what else we do besides that tomorrow."

"Love you Dad," Alexis said quickly.

"And I love you girls too," Beckett said. "Goodnight and please go to bed when your sister says."

"They have been," Alexis reassured her. "And thank you Kate, love you too."

"Love you Mommy," Julia said.

"And I love you too Mommy," Eliza was quick to say. "We'll be good."

Castle said a goodnight to Louis with his wife when they'd stopped laughing at how serious the little girl had been. They said goodnight to Mari and then their daughters again and when he turned off the TV his tablet was hooked up to he said to his wife, "Any idea what you want to do?"

Beckett smiled and said, "I was going to read before I take a shower."

"That sounds nice," Castle commented. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," Beckett said. "But where?" She wasn't surprised when he took her hand and pulled her after him to the bedroom. Grabbing her book from her bag she went to where her husband was getting onto the bed and she joined him, leaning against him while she began to read. She wasn't sure how long they were doing that but after some time she realized her husband had stopped turning the pages. Glancing up at him she saw that he had fallen asleep, a smile appearing on her face as she took his book and set it on her nightstand with her own. Turning back to him she wrapped her arms around him and settled against his side. Her eyes closing after that she fell asleep, letting that nap restore more of her energy that she had lost the night before with him.


	5. In The Streets Of San Francisco (Part 2)

Standing with Beckett at the windows Castle said, "Sure we couldn't go outside?"

"In that wind?" Beckett asked, watching as a couple outside against the railing was struggling with the gusts.

"It would make the trip interesting," Castle replied.

"I think it's interesting already," Beckett told him with a smile. She pulled him over to some chairs and they sat together, watching as their ferry boat made its way through the bay. She leaned slightly against him and said, "What're you thinking?"

Glancing at her Castle said, "Did it surprise you?"

"Her moving to… essentially the suburbs?" Beckett asked him. When her husband nodded she said, "No, her sister does live there too and with four kids…"

"They could have still lived in the city," Castle replied.

"I think then it was just hers and Luke's preference," Beckett said. "Though I'm not surprised she kept the apartment in the city."

"Think she's copying us?" Castle asked. He wasn't surprised when his wife just rolled her eyes at him and he said, "Or maybe not."

Beckett didn't say anything, instead watched as they passed Alcatraz at that moment. She wasn't surprised when her husband grabbed her hand and entwined their fingers tightly. She looked at him as he held her gaze she was relieved, feeling a little less tension at seeing the island and the memories it had brought back. When they turned their heads to their left they were relieved to see the island gone behind them and she said, "I thought that many years would have made that… less."

"I wish," Castle said. He looked to the front of the boat and watched as Sausalito neared before he said to her, " _I'm wondering something_."

" _You usually do_ ," Beckett replied, looking at him with a slight smirk on her face. " _What is it_?" she asked seriously.

" _You're not feeling too tired, are you_?" Castle said.

" _You know what I said yesterday_ ," Beckett commented, smiling at him for a moment before she looked back ahead of them. " _And we have other ways_."

Castle wanted to shudder at that comment but there was an announcement they were nearing Sausalito and he was quick to stand with his wife before they went together near the door where they'd be able to disembark.

Though she couldn't see much of the dock Beckett still looked, wondering where her friend would be waiting for them. When she and her husband stepped off the boat she wasn't surprised to find no one there waiting for anyone so she turned her attention to where she did see there were other people. "May," she called when she spotted her.

Hurrying over to the two May embraced Beckett tightly and said, "I know we just saw each other but…"

Beckett laughed with her friend before they parted and she told her, "I don't think it matters, we see each other so little."

"At least in person," May said in agreement with her. "How was the trip? It was a little windy we noticed."

"Alright, we didn't get sick," Castle commented as he had just shaken Luke's hand. "Mainly because we had those patches for it." He smiled as he shook May's hand and said, "But we are glad to see you again."

"It's mutual," Luke said.

"Should we go?" May said.

"Yes, we're starving," Beckett said laughingly. "Lunch was a long time ago."

"Alright first our home," May replied, looping her arm through her friend's. They walked ahead of their husbands to the parking lot where she guided Beckett to their car and she said, "It's not far," while Luke was unlocking the doors. "And we'll head out to San Francisco after this."

"Where exactly are you taking us?" Castle asked as he and Beckett got into the backseat.

"You'll see," May replied.

Castle was going to say something in protest when his wife put her hand on his arm. Looking to her he seemed to discern something from her glance and said, "You know already?"

"I have an idea," Beckett said. She shook her head when her husband tried to speak and looked ahead of them as they were leaving the street by the ferry dock. They headed up into the hills and she asked, "How far is your sister's place from yours?"

"Not far," Luke answered before his wife could say anything. "About three minutes or so."

"And here we are," May said around that many minutes later. She watched the gate open and said, "I wanted one when we were looking for a home."

"After I told you we had one installed?" Beckett asked. When her friend nodded she smiled and said, "It's a beautiful house."

"That was me," Luke said.

"Which makes sense," Castle replied, looking at the house they were approaching himself. "But I can see why you chose this one," he continued when Luke had parked the car outside of the garage.

"The owners who lived here before us," the man explained as he and his wife led the way to the front door. "Made this house and the wife was an architect."

"It does look modern on the outside," May told them as she was unlocking the door. "But it's not too bad inside. After you two."

Going into the foyer Beckett saw what her friend meant by it being 'not too bad' and she said, "Cozy."

"That was Luke's reaction when he first saw it," May said. "And something he looked for specifically."

"So, was this your dream house?" Castle asked as they walked through the living room.

"It was though we did have to compromise with the kitchen," Mary replied.

"It's a little small," Luke said. When the two looked at him he smiled at his wife and said, "You were right."

"Yes, I was," May said. "He meant that it was a little small, he didn't think you'd notice. There was a laundry room off this so we knocked down the walls to extend the kitchen."

"And your washer and dryer?" Beckett asked, running her hand over the granite countertop that was a speckled gray color.

"Upstairs in a linen closet we had no use for," May replied. "Here's the family room, we'll show you the back but let's get the house done first."

Castle and Beckett followed the couple through the rooms; studying the children's rooms as they reached them they could see their personalities. And seeing the couple's master bedroom they saw their own, mainly in the pictures on the walls.

"So," Beckett said as she and May headed downstairs first. "You two have interesting décor."

"He wanted to get the architectural plans of the buildings," May explained. "And I just wanted pictures."

"They're nice," Castle commented before he and Luke were stepping outside with their wives.

"Oh wow," Beckett said as she saw the view the family had.

"I know, this was the second part of what made us pick this home," May said with a smile, looking out as well. "Besides the fact the kids wouldn't have to share a bedroom."

"And you have a nice pool," Castle said, turning to look at it.

"This backyard is great," Beckett said with a smile. "I… can see why you left the city."

"I liked yours, even with the tent," May said, looking at her.

"Any time you guys want to come back you can," Castle said quickly before his wife could look at him.

"Thank you," May said. "And if I was trying to get you to invite us I would say my plan had worked."

Beckett laughed and shook her head before saying, "I'd expect it of you."

"Oh, that's evil," May replied before they both started to laugh with each other. "Come on, you're still starving?" When she got nods from both of them she said to her husband, "Let's head out."

"Did you two talk to your kids?" Luke asked when they were inside the car and leaving the house.

"Oh of course, as soon as we got back to our room after walking from City Hall," Beckett replied.

"You walked?" May asked in concern. "Oh, please don't tell me you walked on Market-"

"Alexis told us the better way to go," Castle interrupted her. "Thanks to your niece."

"Thank goodness for Di," May said with a smile. They were getting off the freeway and she said, "We're in Mill Valley coming here though very close to Sausalito still."

"I thought you said we were going towards San Francisco?" Beckett asked her.

"We loop back around a little," Luke answered. "And here we are."

"I knew it," Beckett said, looking at her friend as they were at the _Buckeye Roadhouse_.

"You've been here before?" Castle asked his wife with a smile.

"With her and her parents," Beckett said, nodding to May as they got out of the car. She took her husband's hand and they walked together to the restaurant with the other couple before she said, "That was a while ago though."

"It's still the same," May replied.

"The food is still great," Luke commented as they stepped into the building.

Beckett wanted to comment but the hostess was leading them to their table and she quickly told her husband, "Her parents told me that this place was first here in 1937."

"So, it might be haunted," Castle said in a rush.

"Never heard of it being that," May said with a smile as they were gathering around the table she had specifically asked for.

"I remember this being the same one," Beckett told her friend as her husband helped her sit. She looked at the menu once they were all seated and then realized something, "I-"

"Order whatever you'd like to drink, we're getting our own wine," Luke said.

"I had to tell him," May said. "He was going to get us a bottle ahead of time."

"That works out," Castle commented. He murmured something to his wife before they turned their attention to the menu and picked out their entrees before they ordered when the waiter returned. "So, once we're finished with the tour of your apartment next," he said when they were alone again. "Are we done for the night?"

"I think we will be," Beckett said before the couple could reply.

"She's right," May said. "I don't need to go in so early-"

"Neither do I," Luke added. "So we're going to rest."

"To a degree," May said out of the corner of her mouth. She laughed with the other three before she said, "Tell us about what you've done so far."

The conversation about that then turned to their children and even as they were eating the two couples shared pictures that were on their phones of their kids. When they were winding down, their plates empty, Luke called over the waiter and spoke to the man quietly before he left and then walked away.

"And that?" Beckett asked her friend with a smile on her face.

"You'll see," May assured her.

"If it's dessert shouldn't we pick what we want?" Castle asked before he remembered when they'd seen where they were going to have dinner.

"There is something," Beckett said with a smile and slight incline of her head. "And that is the s'mores pie. You'll like it don't worry."

"I figured," Castle said. When she looked at him questioningly he smiled and said, "I figured you would have protested if I wouldn't."

Beckett smiled and squeezed her husband's hand before their waiter brought over four take out containers with the desserts in them. She stood up with the others and said, "We should have taken you out to eat yesterday."

"It's alright," May said reassuringly as they went to the stairs down to the first floor of the restaurant. "You paid for my lunch…"

"What?" Luke asked as he heard the way his wife trailed off.

"I almost forgot," May said, walking a little faster to the car once they were outside. She went to the glove compartment and handed Beckett a slip of paper saying, "Paul looked for me after he was finished with lunch; this is for both of you."

Beckett was startled before she turned her attention to the paper and read it aloud saying, " _Had a fab time at lunch_ ," unable to help pausing and smiling at the wording there. " _Nancy and I would love to keep in touch if you'd so like. But no information on my video. Paul and Nancy_ …"

"You realize he's going to try to bum you for free copies of books," Luke commented once they were silent for a while.

"Yeah and he's free to do that," Castle said, still sounding floored as the man had included an e-mail address on the bottom of the paper. He pocketed it quickly when his wife handed it over and said, "We'll be doing that."

"This isn't real," Beckett said.

"It is," May said.

"I think Julia's going to call you her favorite aunt," Castle commented once they were all in the car.

"It was just coincidence he came today," May replied as she smiled back at the two. "But I'm glad he did… invite him to the beach house."

The car was full of laughter from the four as Luke drove them back to the freeway, that time in the direction of the city. As they reached the Golden Gate Bridge they all fell silent, Castle and Beckett keeping their eyes out their windows while their hands were clasped tightly in between them.

"If it wasn't so foggy," Luke said once they were finally in San Francisco. "I would have suggested we walk on the bridge."

"Too cold," May said.

"Did you-" Castle started to say when he saw the way the woman glanced to his wife.

"We did," Beckett interrupted him with a smile. "And we didn't really last that long, just to the first tower before we ran back."

"We're almost there," Luke said as he went to the right before he headed nearer the downtown area. When they were at the apartment building he said, "I was urged by a friend to sell the place when I told him we were moving."

"But we like having a house in the city," May said. "I think you guys can agree with that."

"We can though we couldn't really sell our loft," Castle said.

"His mother's living there," Beckett reminded them.

"You have a better reason than us," Luke said slightly laughingly.

"Park the car," May said in slight annoyance to him. When they were walking over to the elevator she said, "We're on the top floor, twentieth."

"Did you make it a loft?" Beckett asked the two.

"We did but you said yours has the master on the lower floor?" Luke asked, pressing the button for the floor. When they nodded their heads he said, "We put the room upstairs and we have three bedrooms."

"We don't stay that much; just in the summer now," May explained at the confused expressions on their faces. "And the girls share a room while George has the other."

"That third room… technically the fourth, we made into a media room," Luke said. "I guess we should just call it a movie room, we have a projector and couches and all of that."

"I'm getting more and more eager to see this place," Castle said.

"He's right, I am too," Beckett said with a smile. "What about the color scheme?"

"Like Sausalito; greens and blues," May replied as they stepped out of the elevator car. "And here we are," she said as they came to door 20D. She let her husband unlock the door before they went inside and she was quick to turn on the lights so they could go in further.

Looking around Castle said, "I see another reason why you liked the house in Sausalito."

"I have a fondness for high ceilings," Luke said, following the man's gaze in looking up. "That and I'm a tall man, I don't want to feel like I'm constantly hunched over."

"I can agree with that completely," Castle said, pretending to be serious as he nodded.

"Come on," May told them. "Let's look around and get to our dessert."

Beckett wanted to joke about that when her husband took her hand so she stopped and followed the couple around the apartment, going up to the second story after they'd looked over the ground one. She smiled at the girls' joint bedroom; three twin beds in a row with different colored comforters; and said, "I hope they don't mind this when they get older."

"Do your girls really mind sharing in the city?" Luke asked. When both Castle and Beckett shook their heads he said, "I doubt our girls will either. Like we said, it's a summer home essentially."

"Vacation home," May said as she watched Castle and Beckett looking around the room that had décor like their room in Sausalito.

"It's a great room," Beckett said when they left. "And an apartment too, you did a great job with this," she directed to Luke.

"Thank you," the man said with a smile. "Now dessert, please."

The group headed down to the kitchen where May and Luke served out the slices of pie to Castle and Beckett. After a short discussion, they decided to play a little bit of poker while they ate. They talked about the rest of Castle and Beckett's trip before they asked May and Luke when they were next going to take a vacation. Several places were suggested between the couples until their plates and glasses were empty and they stood to clean up.

"Oh, I feel so bad," May said as she was hugging Beckett tightly at the door. "We should take you to the hotel."

"No, you're here so stay," she told her friend. Beckett hugged her a little harder before May did the same to her and said as they let go of each other, "We'll talk, likely through e-mails for now but we'll keep in touch."

"Good, have a safe drive down to San Jose," May said to her and Castle, shaking his hand.

"She's right, you'll enjoy the Winchester," Luke told the pair as he shook their hands warmly.

"Thank you so much for everything," Castle said, his wife agreeing with him.

"You're welcome, it was a great night," May said. She stood with her husband in the doorway as the couple left and they waved together until the two had disappeared into the elevator.

In front of the building there was a taxi waiting for Castle and Beckett on the curb and they got in, telling the driver their hotel's name. They sat back and were quiet as the city passed by, pressed close to one another until they were at the St. Francis. Castle took care of paying and he hurried to where his wife was waiting for him before they went inside together, going straight to their room without a word to one another. He closed and locked the door behind them before they turned to each other, staring at one another before speaking.

"What are we going to do now?" Castle and Beckett said at the same time.

Smiling at her husband Beckett said, "We could start."

"It's early," Castle commented, saying that to give her a chance to tell him if she had changed her mind.

"It is," Beckett said simply as she just looked at him.

"Okay, so with that I say we play _Cinquillo_ ," Castle told her.

"You realize that with only two of us the game isn't going to work," Beckett replied.

"Then War," Castle said.

"Why not poker?" Beckett asked, slightly laughingly.

"It's too quick," Castle replied simply.

Rolling her eyes slightly Beckett said, "And War isn't too long?"

"Best three out of five," Castle said. He wasn't surprised when his wife looked uncertain and he said, "And then the winner gets to ask for whatever they want."

"I'm not surprised," Beckett said. She looked thoughtful for a moment and said, "Alright. The good thing about that game is there's no time limit on it."

Castle wasn't surprised and he smiled saying, "No."

Glancing at her husband as she had expected that to unsettle him Beckett followed him into the bedroom and she paused at seeing the bed. "Again?" she asked him.

"Yes," Castle said easily as he'd had the mattress covered with coral rose petals. "But we should play out there; I'm getting the deck of cards."

"And I'm making sure you are," Beckett told him. She smiled when his head turned swiftly to her and she shrugged saying, "That and get rid of my blazer," before she proceeded to unbutton and then remove it.

Castle couldn't stop himself from watching his wife as she was doing that and when she turned to him he had to quickly turn his attention to his suitcase where he was standing. Grabbing the deck of cards, he said, "Ready?"

"Yes, are you?" Beckett replied with a smile as she had been able to see him staring out of the corner of her eye. She walked out first to the living room as he motioned to the doorway with his hand and once they were sitting at the table she said, "A nice day off."

"I know I was relieved we only had one signing here," Castle replied while he shuffled the deck. "But LA's going to be a little harder."

"We're not going out to sign every day," Beckett reminded him as he began to split the deck between them. "But we do have some parties."

"I couldn't get out of those," Castle said quickly as he knew she wasn't looking forward to that.

"Well at least those aren't every night," Beckett said, picking up the stack of cards she had in front of her. She set down her first card and watched her husband put his, smiling at him as she'd beaten his six with a jack. "This is going to be interesting," she told him.

"I think so," Castle said. "No strategy involved here."

"Which is why we're not playing strip… War," Beckett said slowly.

"It'd go too fast," Castle said as they turned over their next cards. "Yeah, we might end up going past best out of five," as he'd won that time.

"Well it's a little soon to say that," Beckett commented. When her husband glanced at her she shrugged and put her next card down. She laughed when they both ended up with aces and she said, "I wonder how long it would take to play this all the way through."

"Did you ever do that?" Castle asked as they flipped over the last of the cards in that set and he won.

"A few times; with Lily," Beckett replied. "We stayed up late one time doing that and the next day I didn't get up and go home until almost one. It worried my father."

Winning the fourth set Castle said, "I'm not surprised."

When they played the last set, Beckett wasn't surprised when he won and she said, "So what do you want?"

Castle considered his wife for a few minutes and finally told her, "Sit on my lap. For the rest of the game." Not surprised when his wife gave him a look he said, "Okay fine, then just for a few seconds."

"And am I doing anything else besides just sitting on your lap?" Beckett asked him as she stood.

"Damn, I thought I could pull a fast one on you," Castle said, watching her walk around to him. "Just… move," he told her.

"A lap dance?" Beckett asked, wondering if that was the case though she wasn't sure as he had never asked her for that before.

"Um… pass," Castle said, taking her hand and helping her onto his lap. "Just move, no rhythm just…"

"Movement," Beckett finished for him when he trailed off. She couldn't help smiling widely as her husband nodded rapidly and she leaned over, kissing him gently on the lips. "Hmm," she said when they slowly parted a few seconds later. " _We didn't get to do that much today_."

" _I_ _know_ ," Castle replied to that hurriedly. " _But we kept busy_."

" _We did_ ," Beckett replied, shifting slightly. She wasn't surprised when he groaned; as she could easily feel his erection underneath her; and she told him, "I can't do this for long."

"No," Castle said on an exhale that also contained a slight laugh to it. When she stood up he sighed and said, "Not much movement Kate."

Eyeing him for using her name Beckett sat down again and said, "Another five?"

"Yeah," Castle replied, slightly startled when she just stared at him. He wasn't sure what the look in her eyes meant but tried his best to turn his attention to his cards as they began again.

Beckett; wining the first set; wasn't surprised at her husband's reaction to her looking at him. She couldn't help it, or the smile that soon appeared on her face, and she said to try and distract herself from her sudden idea, "Two out of five."

"Yeah, I saw," Castle replied, pretending to sound frustrated as she won the second set as well. "If you win the next one we can just go ahead into whatever you want to do," he said as they set down their third pair of cards.

"Great," Beckett said with a smile as she won that set too. When her husband sighed in annoyance she tried not to laugh and instead waited for him to look up at her. She gestured to him with her index finger, not surprised when he just looked at her in surprise. She made the same gesture once and laughed outright as he scrambled to get out of his chair and go to her. She grabbed a handful of his shirt and pulled him down to her before she murmured into his ear when he was close enough for her to do so.

"You-" Castle tried to say.

"Sit and let's continue," Beckett said simply.

Not surprised when she just stared at him Castle finally went back to his seat and sitting down he told her, "You're very bossy."

"You told me that before," Beckett said, setting down her first card.

"And I stick by it," Castle replied, tossing down his card and taking them both as he'd won. "And I mean it in the most positive way possible."

"I'm glad to hear," Beckett said, a slight smile tilting the side of her lips briefly. She ended up winning three sets once more and she said, "Definitely luck."

"It is," Castle replied. "So, do you want to start now?"

"No," Beckett said as she was getting up and going over to him. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the chair, taking him to the chez lounge. She waited for him to sit down first and then got onto his lap, her arms around him a second before that moment. She held onto him tightly as they jumped right into their kissing and felt him holding her as close too. They didn't bother to start out slow, just went straight into a passionate kiss where they were dueling one another's tongues as their heads tilted back and forth. When she was breathless she pulled away and said, "Okay."

"Okay? That's it?" Castle said, unable to help his voice becoming indignant.

"That's it for now," Beckett said firmly as she got off him and moved to go back to her chair at the table.

"Now I regret not saying how long we should spend with this," Castle said in a mock grumble as he followed her to the table. They began to play again and he was sure it would end up being a tie before they set down their cards for the fifth set but he managed to win. "Thank god," he breathed out before he jumped up and went to his wife, grabbing her and almost dragging her to the chez as he didn't give her a chance to respond to him before that point. He pulled her onto his lap as soon as she was sitting and they were kissing again, passionately, as they'd been doing before. He was trying not to devour his wife literally but as her taste flooded his mouth he was amazed when he wasn't doing that in fact. It wasn't until she forced him away from her that he stopped and said, "I'm not apologizing for that."

A smile spread across Beckett's face and she told him, "You don't need to." She looked over at the table and the cards before she said, "I think we're done."  
"I'm letting you decide," Castle replied. He watched her get off his lap and when her hand reached out to him he was instantly taking it, walking with her over to the bedroom before suddenly stopped and turned to him. He was able to recover in time, wrapping his arms around her tightly as she was doing to him before they were kissing. It was hungry and deep and he thought for a moment that she had changed her mind about her idea she'd told him about earlier.

When they had to stop kissing Beckett smiled up into her husband's eyes and said, "Help me." She was slightly startled when he groaned and she looked up at him saying, "I wasn't kidding."

"I thought-" Castle started to say while his wife began to unbutton his shirt. He was cut off when she leaned over and began to kiss at his skin, making him swallow his groan for a moment. He wanted to hold onto her as she continued with the rest of his buttons but something made him hold back. Doing so helped him when he needed to take off his shirt and he was going to grab her as he turned back to her but a moment later he was stopped as her hands pressed to his chest. "Kate," he gasped out.

Beckett smirked up at him slightly before she turned her attention to his trousers before she paused with her hand on the button at the top of his fly. She looked up at him and reached for him, pulling him down to her for a kiss which they soon exchanged. When they'd parted she said, "Come here."

There wasn't much of a reason for Castle to be surprised when his wife pulled him along by the waistband of his pants and he made sure he was following her closely enough so she wasn't pulling too hard. When they were at the bed he wasn't alarmed either when she began to lean down in front of him and he reached for her quickly to stop her. "Stand up," he told her firmly.

"Alright," Beckett said simply. She opened the fly of his trousers before she stepped back a bit to let him take those off along with his boxers. She was going to have him get on the bed but he was grabbing her, throwing her down onto the mattress instead. She let out a slight cry of surprise at that movement but didn't have a chance to react otherwise to him as he was on top of her. "I'm still-" she managed to say before he was crushing his lips to hers. A moan of pleasure escaped her as she could soon feel how much her lips were throbbing and she tried her best to keep up with him. When they stopped she caressed the back of his head until she whispered, "I'm still dressed."

"Sure," Castle said though he didn't really want to stop. He moved to let her get up and he help her undress, relieved suddenly that she had taken off her blazer as it left her with much less to be removed. As soon as she was bare to him he reached for her breasts when her hands were suddenly slapping his own away.

"I told you Rick," Beckett said as she made him lay on the bed. She paused to smile briefly as he let out a hard breath when his back hit the mattress before she was climbing on top of it and him continuing with, "I didn't change my mind; I still haven't."

"But…" Castle started to say before he trailed off when she gave him a look while she was putting some pillows behind his back. He finally sighed and said, "I just want you to do this-"

"Because I want to," Beckett interrupted him firmly. "And I do. Now stop protesting and enjoy this."

Castle couldn't say anything to that as his wife's tone of voice was so insistent and he sat back against the pillows before she was leaning over after. He started to groan when she stroked at his chest, her breath running against his lips as she was so close. She then moved down slightly so she could use her lips and he was reaching to the bed underneath himself to try and take what the first kiss did to him. His skin immediately reacted and he let out a hiss before he could stop himself, making her glance up at him. "Don't smirk at me," he said in mock annoyance. "You'd react the same exact way."

Beckett fought her smile before she bent her head again and she went back to kissing over his chest. She tried not to speed over to them, instead going as slowly as she could force herself until she was at his nipples. There she gave herself free rein and she began to pepper him with kisses, listening for a while to how he grunted and breathed out heavily at her touch. She wasn't sure how long she took but she finally made herself just kiss him until she stopped at his left nipple.

At the cessation of any movement Castle looked at his wife to see what she was doing and then watched as she flicked her tongue out to the nub. He groaned heavily before she began to suck at him, slowly and carefully. He tried not to grab her too hard as she was doing that but he needed to hold onto her so he did, watching her as closely as he could when he could manage to keep his eyes open. The pleasure was becoming too much and he finally made her stop before he said, "You do that too well."

"I never thought I'd hear you say that," Beckett said, not bothering to keep the amusement out of her voice as she sat up on her knees. "What can I do that won't push you too far?" There was little surprise when her husband was reaching out to her and she allowed him to bring her up to him, kissing him back as he was doing the same to her. Her arms snaking around his neck she parted her lips for his tongue, allowing him to caress her own with it a few times before she made him stop. "Hmm, that will still push you… just slower," she told him.

Staring into his wife's eyes for a long time Castle soon stopped and pulled away before he said, "Is there-" when he was cut off by his wife's hand grasping his erection gently. "Wait… that will push me," he managed to say in warning to her.

"Believe me when I say I know," Beckett replied. With her other hand, she reached up to his face and gently cupped his cheek before stroking his lower lip with her thumb. "I know…" her voice becoming a whisper.

Castle was a little taken aback at his wife's voice but he couldn't stop her, just looking on as she moved so she could bow her head and take his length into her mouth. He was clutching at the sheet underneath him tightly as she began to move her mouth very slowly. It was then he knew she wasn't trying to get him to climax but it didn't make it easier to withstand the pleasure that she was making him feel and very intensely. There was a part of him that told him to stop her again but he couldn't get himself to let go of the bed to do that. He was arguing with himself about that for so long that when she abruptly stopped he made a startled sound. "That's it?" he asked her.

To answer him Beckett leaned down and kissed her husband hungrily before she used it as a distraction while she was straddling him once more. "Help me," she told him as soon as she had pulled away from him.

Shaking himself Castle moved to grab onto his wife's hips and he led her onto him before they were finally coupled. Breathing out a little hard he felt her lean into him and immediately he wrapped his arms around her before they were kissing once more. He let his hands wander on her back, feeling around her as much as he could and trying not to shudder too much before they were pulling away from one another. Caressing her hair, he told her, "I didn't think you'd want to do this."

For a moment Beckett had to focus on breathing before she could respond to him and she finally was able to say, "I didn't either." She tilted her head back when her husband began to kiss around her neck and stroked his back until he stopped and they were kissing again. She wasn't surprised when that didn't last for long and after she had pulled away she said, "I don't think I'll be able to last," meaning that as he looked at her.

Nuzzling her lips with his own Castle stopped as she did and he said, "I don't want to move."

Beckett couldn't help the smile on her face; as she could tell he was serious; and she said, "We don't need to," wrapping her arms around his neck. She smiled and said to him, "You know we weren't really doing that for long."

"It doesn't matter," Castle replied. He realized something and said, "At least it doesn't to me."

"Or me," Beckett said, smiling as she knew he was searching her for her answer. She gave him a quick peck on the lips and told him, "When I start again I don't think I'll be stopping."

"I'll help you," Castle replied though his voice was husky at what she had said. When she gave him a look he said, "I can."

Though she wanted to protest Beckett couldn't really find what she wanted to say to be able to do that. She leaned down and kissed him, much more deeply than before and when they finally stopped she caressed his face and moved away from him. She wasn't surprised to see the startled look on his face when she did that but was relieved when he recovered and moved to sit on his knees. She was going back to him the instant he did that and as soon as he had his arms around her they were working together so they were coupled once more. " _I love you_ ," she whispered against his lips.

"I love you too Kate," Castle told her, his voice slightly husky before they were kissing frantically. He wanted to move but couldn't really do so too much in the position they were in. Therefore, he couldn't help himself from letting out his relief in the form of a groan as she began to do so. He began to thrust with her; not as easily as she could; but he found it didn't matter in the slightest since the friction between them was making him nearly dizzy as the heat was quick to start up.

Beckett, focusing more on her movements, was trying to keep a steady pace and at the same time trying to keep her climax at bay. It was difficult because of what her husband was making her feel and she faltered slightly as the pure electricity she was feeling from him was strong. It made her entire body burn and she was soon stopping before she realized she was doing so. Panting heavily, she said to her husband's worried question, "I'm fine… I just had to stop."

Kissing her quickly Castle said, "Should we stop completely?"

"No," Beckett said. "Just… let me recover."

"Yeah," Castle said, though he wasn't sure how long he could let her do that as he could still feel how they'd been moving together not too long before.

"I won't take that long," Beckett assured him, rubbing her hand up and down the back of his neck and head. When he shuddered, she leaned over and kissed him before moving back enough to whisper against his lips, "I can still feel you; throbbing."

"Yeah," Castle said again, that time slowly as he tried not to lose his resolve to let her stay above him.

After watching her husband Beckett finally couldn't take it anymore and began to move, pushing herself up and down on him as he could move a little easier with her like that. She watched him starting to push himself up and down and she realized his knee could likely begin to hurt so she soon said, "Rick-"

"I'm fine," Castle interrupted her, grunting in between those two words in his joy. He watched her moving and said, "Let me do… us…"

Looking at him Beckett took a moment to realize what he was going to say and she told him, "Don't, don't call it that. Just _hurry_."

Castle could only nod before he moved her so she was on her back. That set off them moving around the bed together and changing positions, only lasting for a few rapid thrusts before they were moving again. He lost track of how exactly they were, he was only aware who was on top and who was below. When they'd been working for so long that his wife was almost limp underneath him he said, "I want-"

"No just… keep me here," Beckett breathed out heavily to him. She was relieved when he nodded against the side of her head and she told him, "I… I need to come."

"Are you close?" Castle asked, feeling his wife losing her rhythm. He couldn't blame her, after so long moving together he felt as if the slightest addition of sensation would throw him over the edge but finally he focused his attention to her as she was answering him in the next second.

"I… yes, oh god…" Beckett breathed out. She groaned when her husband stopped moving and she whispered, "You're going to drive me crazy."

"I know," Castle said, his voice deeper than normal as he could feel them throbbing against one another.

"You already are," Beckett said, caressing his face again. She raised her head enough to kiss him and when they were apart murmured, "Make me come Rick." She was immensely satisfied when her husband began to thrust again and she was quick to move with him. They were soon beginning to go fast and at the sensation of the friction and warmth that resulted she began to writhe around slightly until he was changing his position until he was slamming down into her clit. It felt almost as if there was an explosion within her body and she cried out hard as her back arched roughly. She began to chant her husband's name while the ecstasy was running through her rapidly and it was shortly after she had begun that she could feel him joining her. The sound of their names on each other's lips mingled in the room and she held her husband in a tight grasp, wanting them close together through their shared pleasure. When she could feel herself beginning to calm down she tried not to stop moving though soon her body gave up and ceased, nearly collapsing on the bed as he kept moving.

Though he hated that moment when he was the only one of them thrusting Castle didn't stop until his body told him to and he was almost gasping for air once he'd done so. "Kate… you're so… perfect," he managed to get out as he couldn't let himself recover in time to say that.

Stroking her husband's slightly moist hair Beckett kissed the side of his head and told him, "So are you… every time."

"You too," Castle was quick to tell her. He relaxed a little and when he felt he could move he withdrew from her; being careful as he did so; and then moved to lay on his back as he took her in his arms. "I wonder if…" he started to say.

"Shh you didn't want to think about it," Beckett replied, reaching up to him to run her fingertips along his jaw.

"I couldn't help it," Castle said slowly. He shook his head and said, "Come on."

Startled Beckett couldn't protest him getting her up and she followed him over to the bathroom. She waited for him to fill the tub and once he was inside she followed him, leaning back against his chest before she sighed and said, "This is nice."

"I know, a little relaxation before we're moving on again," Castle said. He nuzzled the side of her head for a moment before he said, "Do you mind our driving down to LA?"  
"For the last time no," Beckett said, smiling widely as it wasn't the first time he'd checked with her about that. She looked at him and said, "This will be a practice one."

"That's how you want to go with our girls?" Castle asked her. When she nodded he couldn't help himself and kissed around her shoulders though her hair was covering them slightly. He then told her, "I'd like to too, stop here and there."

"Don't plan details yet Rick," Beckett told him with a smile on her face. "We can worry about that when we're sure we can go."

"True," Castle said simply before he reached down to her. He spanned his hands around her abdomen before he then kissed down the side of her head until he reached her neck and murmured, "I'm tempted."

"I know so am I," Beckett replied. "But we have to sleep." She could feel by the way her husband was going to move that he wanted to protest but she quickly told him, "I'm serious Rick. We have a signing and party tomorrow we can't be falling asleep."

"Or-" Castle began.

"Or limping," Beckett interrupted him. She glanced back over her shoulder at him and said, "Yes I knew you were going to say that." She wasn't surprised when he laughed slightly and she said, "There's tomorrow night."

Shuddering in pleasure Castle said, "I'm so glad you think as perversely as I do."

"Your influence," Beckett said. She laughed when her husband kissed at her neck and she told him, "You can't deny that's true."

"Since I just used the phrase 'as much as I do' no I can't really do that," Castle replied, hugging her closer to him though she was already nearly right up against his chest. He kissed the side of her head again and told her, "But I'm glad you're open to that."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Beckett said, looking at him again. "I told you before I've never wanted a man more. I'm very greedy when there's something I want desperately." She wasn't surprised when her husband froze and she told him, "I'm not kidding."

"You should know I'm the exact same way," Castle said, nearly growling the words to her as he couldn't help himself.

"I know, I can tell," Beckett said, smiling back at him. She turned to look at him and said, "But right now… I just want to relax."

"Okay," Castle said, letting her lean back against him again. He couldn't help himself and started to stroke her front gently, careful with that he touched before they spoke at the same time. "Go ahead," he said when they'd stopped.

"I was just going to say that I was almost going to pleasure you earlier," Beckett told him.

Smiling Castle said, "I thought so too but I'm glad you didn't."

"You would have recovered in time," Beckett commented. She wasn't surprised when her husband didn't say anything and she playfully nudged him with her elbow behind her. As he laughed she said, "And I wouldn't have been that quick."

"Could have," Castle replied easily. "Though you're right, I probably wouldn't have let you."

Beckett smiled and stood up, looking at her husband to see his reaction as she did so. She wasn't surprised when he hurried to follow her and she stepped out first, grabbing a towel and throwing it to him.

"I don't know why I'm so eager," Castle said, knowing that movement was his wife telling him to calm down.

"It's understandable," Beckett said. "But we should get dressed."

"Not necessarily," Castle told her as he dried off while she was doing the same. "It's less to pack."

Rolling her eyes Beckett didn't say anything, merely followed her husband out to the bedroom where they got dressed. They got into bed together before she lay against his side again, cheek to his chest. She smiled and murmured, "Night Rick, I love you."

"I love you too Kate," Castle said. "Goodnight." He kissed her once she had raised her head and they were very tender and gentle before she was lying back down. Holding her close he felt her body relaxing against him in sleep and he brushed his lips to hers saying, "Sweet dreams love." With that he closed his eyes himself, ready to dream of her as he slept deeply to get to the next day of the tour though at that moment his thoughts were fully on her as he knew hers were on him while she was dreaming as well.


	6. Find Some Peace Of Mind

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: The lyrics in this chapter are from the song _Dark Sweet Lady_ and _Can't Stop Thinking About You_ both by George Harrison, from his eponymous album and his album called _Extra Texture (Read All About It)_ respectively.

A/N #2: It was very nice getting the feedback I did for the last chapter so I'll jump right into my thank yous for them! MsNYC (I had to laugh a bit at the way you greeted Luke and May though you're right, it hasn't been that long since they were last seen of course. And I'm glad you thought the apartment sounded amazing 'cause I am not an architect, lol. It's great that you enjoy how Alexis embraces her sisters; as you said; with the age difference. I always thought that she would do that from how she was on the show. And speaking of Alexis I don't think it was weird you described her relationship with Louis as a mini Caskett relationship, I'm not surprised you think that because I figure Alexis would be in a relationship like theirs. Meaning that basically it would be loving at its most basic level… if that makes sense, lol. I also had to laugh a bit at you mentioning you can't wait for the next book signing; to see who'll get the most numbers; since I'm glad to see that you enjoy that. And also the same with the parties, that you enjoy those too since I like to write them! And of course, really happy to read you thought it was great writing as usual!),  
TORONTOSUN (I was very happy to see that you liked how I wrote in Paul and Nancy as I was really wondering what readers would think about them in the story. So to see you're hoping to see them again in my series makes me very happy, lol. And I was also glad that you liked how they were relaxed with each other, figured they would be!) and  
vetgirlmx (I was of course so happy to read first off that you thought it was a very, very nice chapter. And that you thought it was a nice day off from the book tour, lol, and noted the surprises that I had, lol. I wasn't surprised that you were expecting the museum and them walking about so I was glad to see I surprised you with Paul being a fan. And yeah, I was trying to convey they were famous together though I know Paul does come to the States. Anyways with him remembering them I figured the fact he knows them by their books would be the reason and through remembering them he recalls Julia. Lol, I was tempted to have her not be able to speak because I know I wouldn't be able to if I ever met Paul but for the sake of the story I had her speak. And I'm not surprised you weren't that she had to tell Mari right away, figured since her best friend was right next door she would race over there, lol. And I'm so, so pleased that you enjoyed the dinner they had with May and Luke. You made a point, they haven't spent time with the two in a while so that's why I included them to have some different friends to dinner. And yeah, they've gotta keep going on that tour and keep moving as you said. And I'm so, so glad you're eager to see what happens next and now you don't need to wait anymore to find out!).  
Thanks so much for the reviews, I loved reading them and as usual am very grateful for the time taken to write them out and send them to me!

A/N #3: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song _Do You Know the Way to San Jose_ written by Hal David, the version I have taken from is sung by Dionne Warwick.

Find Some Peace Of Mind

"It's sent," Beckett told her husband as she looked over at him. "Do you really think he'll answer back?"

"We can only hope," Castle replied, glancing at her. "And hope he's going to go down to LA."

"You sounded so sure," Beckett replied, glancing at him with a smirk on her face.

"It was a guess," Castle said. He glanced at her and smiled before they laughed and he said, "Let's hope he answers before he heads back to England."

"I know," Beckett replied. She turned off her phone and put it away before looking ahead of them to the road. They were nearly at San Jose and after discussing it with her husband they had decided to take Paul McCartney up on the offer in his note and e-mailed him asking if he would join them at the book party they would be having in LA. "I hope he says they'll go," she commented as she looked to him.

"Yeah," Castle replied as he had to focus on the traffic in front of him. "How close are we?"

"Getting closer," Beckett said with a smile. "That was a nice drive," she said as she picked up his phone that had its GPS going.

"It was, we should come this way," Castle said.

"Rick," Beckett said in a jokingly stern voice as she looked at him.

"It's a suggestion," Castle said as if he was defending himself. "Something to keep in mind."

"Alright," Beckett said with a laugh. She was going to speak but had to stop as the GPS was telling them they were coming up to the exit they needed. "Shouldn't we check in first," as Castle was getting closer to the off ramp.

"We'll be able to do that after," Castle replied. "First we should get lunch though."

"I could hear your stomach growling from here," Beckett told him teasingly. As they were driving down the street she suddenly saw an ornate home past him out the window and said, "There it is."

"The diner is close to it," Castle said as he turned off the street and then into the parking lot of the eatery.

"What's that?" Beckett asked, pointing to the domed buildings north of the parking lot.

"I think it's a movie theater," Castle replied, studying them as well. He turned back to his wife and said with a smile, "We should go see one."

"We don't have time," Beckett replied as she grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the diner entrance. "Especially since you said you wanted to go through the gardens," she told him while they waited for a table.

"I do," Castle replied, looking around.

"It's fine," Beckett said, watching him and wondering what he thought of the place.

"It is, I was just admiring the décor," Castle said in a low voice as a waitress came over to seat them.

Beckett glanced at him for that, since it wasn't the type that he really liked, but she didn't say anything as she sat down at the table they'd been shown. She watched as her husband sat next to her and smiled at him before she took the menu from the waitress. "We have time to relax," she said to her husband after they were alone and had given their drink orders.

"We can't go before the tour… well into the house," Castle said.

"I wish you'd talk to me," Beckett said, rolling her eyes though her tone of voice wasn't somber.

"I was going to," Castle said defensively. When his wife just looked at him he said, "Right now."

Beckett tried not to roll her eyes and then said, "I wanted to go to the gardens first too."

Nodding Castle turned his attention back to his menu and made his choice before they ordered. As they were waiting he looked at his watch and said, "She's almost out of school; time for class."

"I noticed," Beckett said with a smile as she knew why he was looking at the time. "I hope Eliza will go."

"Of course, now she knows she'll be there next year," Castle said. He sat up straight as their food was being served and smiled at the waitress before he and his wife began to eat. "Wow," he said once he'd swallowed his bite of club sandwich. "That's really good."

"It is," Beckett said with a nod as she'd already tried her chicken salad. "Now tell me where the party is."

"At the Rosicrucian Museum," Castle answered. He wasn't surprised when his wife looked at him and smiled saying, "It's an Egyptian museum."

"Interesting," Beckett replied. She then thought of something and said, "At a museum?"

"The bookstore is hosting it and since it's still warm we'll be outside on the grounds," Castle told her. "Under a tent though with a floor so your heels won't sink into the ground."

"I'll look forward to it," Beckett replied. "Too bad we couldn't go in." When her husband was opening his mouth to speak she quickly said, "I know, it's a possibility."

"The house will be too," Castle told her. When she glanced at him he said, "You don't think Julia would want to see it at least?"

Beckett nodded as she had to concede he was right and once she had she said, "For now finish so we can get started over there."

Castle nodded himself and they turned their attention back to their food. They also spoke a little here and there before they finished their meal. He paid quickly and together they walked out to the car as they wanted it at the house so they could get to the hotel quickly. They made their way into the gift shop and he left Beckett to look around for anything for their daughters as he went to talk to an employee.

"Well?" Beckett asked looking over at him.

"We can go, we just need to be back to line up for the tour," Castle replied. He took her hand so they could go out to the gardens and asked her, "Anything?"

"Not really," Beckett replied. "I think we should stick with some postcards here." She was startled when her husband stopped and turned around and following him; as he didn't let go of her; she said, "You want to get them now?"

"Yeah," Castle replied. "That way we can just leave; get the gift shop over with." He waited for her to protest and when he got none he looked at her in surprise.

"I agree with you," Beckett told him quickly.

"Okay," Castle said slightly laughingly as he picked out some postcards and saw her doing the same.

While her husband was paying Beckett walked over to a window and she looked out at what she could see of the house. She had to wonder at the timing as at that moment a cloud obscured the sun briefly. A shiver shot through her body while she looked at a window, feeling suddenly uneasy.

"Ready?" Castle asked as he came up to her.

"Yeah did she say how long it would take to go through the gardens?" Beckett asked, shaking away her thoughts.

"We have enough time for most of it," Castle replied. "We need to keep our eyes on the time though."  
"You will," Beckett said as she took her camera out of her bag.

"I will," Castle assured her. They walked down the path under the entrance sign and he wasn't surprised to soon hear his wife taking pictures rapidly though there weren't that many flowers. He knew she was taking pictures of what there was, focusing on the trees as there were a number that were already beginning to change color. He kept an eye on the time but it was hard to remember as he had them take a few selfies. When they were taking a picture underneath an arch of shrubbery he looked at the clock on his phone before he said, "We better head back."

"We got to see most of it," Beckett said with a smile at him as they turned around to walk back to the house.

"It was more for you," Castle confessed to her. He was startled when she stopped him and cupped his face with her hands before pulling him down to her. He went with the kiss, responding lovingly to her before they slowly parted. "Though I did want to see at least some of it."

Smiling Beckett said, "Good because I could tell that you did." She shared a quick kiss with him before they continued and went into the gift shop again to join the other people on their tour. She leaned against him slightly as they were waiting and she wasn't surprised when a few people looked their way.

Castle; having noticed the same himself; was waiting to see if anyone would say anything as he knew they'd been recognized. But nothing was said to them and the tour guide was coming to them. They were led out of the gift shop and to a door of the house, coming into a room with light colored paneling on the walls. He listened to the woman's talk about the history of the house and Sarah Winchester who had built it as he took in the details in the room, simplistic though they were. They began to walk through it and he couldn't help but admire the architecture they were coming across.

"And if you'd like to look over here," the tour guide told them, pointing to a doorway. "That is our stairway to nowhere."

"Go, I'm following," Beckett said with a smile as she nodded to him when he looked at her. She went after him to the staircase and she saw that it led straight up to the ceiling. Smiling she said, "If she was trying to confuse the spirits like the guide said she was doing a good job."

"She was," Castle said, nodding. He walked past his wife and when he continued but didn't hear her following he turned to look at her. "Kate?"

"Yeah," Beckett said, shaking herself quickly. She smiled at him and said, "I was thinking about how I'd set up the shot."

"Too bad you couldn't take pictures in here," Castle told her.

"I know," Beckett said, relieved he hadn't said something else. She took his hand again before they were coming to a staircase they instantly recognized.

"The same one from _GA_ ," Castle whispered to his wife when the guide had finished talking to them about how Mrs. Winchester had had the steps made shorter for when she was older to make them more accessible.

"Do not start going up and down them," Beckett said, since Zak had held an interview there in the episode but had kept switching with the man he'd been talking to.

"I won't, we'll miss the tour," Castle said simply though he concentrated on the steps as it was a little disconcerting to be walking up. At the top of the stairs they walked through some rooms that looked deserted, seeing at one point a skylight in the floor.

When they came to some rooms that were slightly damaged Beckett wasn't surprised when the tour guide talked about the San Francisco earthquake and she glanced into the room they could see into before she felt a sudden chill. She squeezed her eyes shut as tightly as she could before she finally felt the cold disappearing. When she opened them, she wasn't surprised when her husband was looking at her and the group had left by then. "I…"

"Should we stay?" Castle asked.

Frowning as she had wanted to try and hide the fact she was sensing anything from her husband Beckett nearly tried to do so then. But she had to grant that it wouldn't work so she said, "There's something about this place."

"I know I feel it too," Castle said. When his wife looked at him in response he said, "Just… uneasy. What about you?"

"Out in the gift shop," Beckett said as she pulled him with her after the group before someone came to find them. "I was looking at the house and there was something about the window I could see that made me uneasy."

"And now?" Castle asked.

Keeping her voice lower, since they were getting closer to the rest of the group, Beckett said, "A chill."

Though he wanted to reply to that desperately Castle couldn't do it since the tour guide was talking again. He paid attention to the woman as much as he could, keeping an eye on his wife as they walked through the rest of the house. He was relieved when she seemed to be okay but when they reached the séance room he wasn't surprised she wrapped her arms around herself. That was the only moment during the tour that he was impatient to continue as he knew there was something in that room that wasn't right; he was able to sense it himself. Finally, they were leaving it and he held his wife tightly as they finished going through the home before he took her to the gift shop.

"Take me to the front," Beckett told her husband when they were walking between the house and the building where the shop was.

"Of the house?" Castle asked, startled at that request. When she nodded he was going to protest the idea but then looked at her closely. Something in him seemed to say he needed to do what she asked so he did so, making his way to the very front of the house where they stood next to the fountain that was there. He watched her looking up at the home and he followed her gaze before he finally had to ask, "What do you see?"

"I…" Beckett started to say. She trailed off before she then seemed to freeze and felt as if a heavy wind was blowing around her though her hair wasn't moving. When it had stopped she suddenly burst into tears before she could stop herself, nearly collapsing on the ground. She felt arms around her and she whispered, "My baby…"

"Oh god," Castle said as he knew then what was going on. He led her over to the house before he called, "Mrs. Winchester… Mrs. Winchester, you need to go back home, get inside where you belong." When he felt Beckett shaking but not crying anymore he said, "She's not going to be able to help you; go. Go!" yelling at the end as he was growing frustrated and concerned for his wife.

Beckett looked over at the windows in the front of the house as they suddenly shook violently and she felt as if whatever had come over her disappeared. She stepped away from her husband and when he reached out for her she shook her head, turning away as she tried to brush away the tears still on her face.

"Here," Castle said, handing her his handkerchief. "I had a feeling this was going to happen. She was trying to jump you I think."

"I really wish you hadn't looked up that stuff," Beckett said, attempting to glare at him but not able to.

"I had to, if Julia and Eliza are going to experience this stuff…" Castle replied.

"What did you sense?" Beckett said, handing him back the handkerchief once she had taken care of her tears.

"Cold, very cold," Castle replied. "And I felt it the most when I was holding onto you."

Nodding Beckett said, "I guess you were right."

"And you still can't believe it," Castle replied.

"I…" Beckett started to say. She sighed and said, "There was something… a sadness. All I felt was that and I just thought of her daughter and husband."

"I did too," Castle replied. "But, we have two girls and we can have another child. I'm still here my love."

"Yeah," Beckett said softly. She looked up at him and said, "Take me out of here; to the hotel."

Castle nodded and he held her firmly to him as they walked together over to the exit to make their way back to the parking lot. He drove over to the hotel and he took care of checking them in. When they were in the elevator he said slowly, "They got us a suite."

"A big one?" Beckett asked him.

"Yeah," Castle replied, looking at the bellman who was in the elevator with him. "It'll be nice."

"I'm looking forward to seeing it," Beckett told him with a smile.

A sense of relief flooded through Castle at the sight of that smile as he could tell that she was feeling far better. He held her hand tightly as they made their way to their suite and he let her go in first after the bellman had opened the door.

Looking around Beckett gave her husband a quick smile when she saw it and she told him, "It's perfect."

"Thanks," Castle said. "Though you should also thank the bookstore for this."

"I'll have to," Beckett said before she went into the bedroom from the parlor. She smiled at the sight of the city outside before she said suddenly, "Is there a pool here?"

"Yes ma'am," the bellman replied, taking the twenty Castle handed to him. "Thank you," he said. "You'll find information about that and the spa we have here on the table."

When the man had left Beckett went to hang her dress for that night immediately and said to her husband, "I want to go out there later tonight; not now."

"Sure… what do you want to do now it's still a half hour until they get back from the dance class," Castle said.

"I'd like to get some rest," Beckett told him. "Take a nap."

"Sure," Castle replied immediately. "I'll read or… something."

"Check your e-mails," Beckett suggested to him.

"I will," Castle said with a nod. "It'll be nice to rest," he said. When she looked at him closely he said, "It was a big house, I'm tired of walking."

"Okay," Beckett said with a smile before he kissed her cheek. She reached out to him and drew him to her, kissing him gently before he responded. As he held her close she breathed out a little shakily and said, "I love you Rick. Thank you."

"Always Kate," Castle said before he moved to press his lips to her forehead. "I love you too." He helped her lay down on the bed and handed her the sheet, kissing her forehead gently. He left her, closing the door behind him before he went over to where his bag was with his laptop, doing what his wife had suggested as he let her take a nap to regain her energy.

* * *

Stepping out of the girls' changing room Julia paused and smiled when she saw her little sister at the mirror practicing some of the Samba steps they'd done that day. "Hey, I'm ready," she told her sisters and Louis who were there. When Alexis waved her and Eliza over to her she rushed over before taking her hand, walking with her out of the school as the little girl was with Louis behind them and they made their way home.

"You okay?" Alexis asked her sister as she paused to unlock the door next to the gate. She had turned to Julia when she'd let go of her hand and saw she had a strange look on her face.  
"I'm… yeah," the girl replied before she looked up at Alexis.

"What is it?" Louis asked as he and Eliza were watching them.

"Nothing," Julia said quickly, feeling whatever had been bothering her was gone. "Let's go inside."

Though she wanted to ask and see if her sister was really okay Alexis could tell from the tone of her voice she was so she unlocked the door and walked in first with Julia. "How much homework do you have?" she asked as Louis was locking it behind them.

"Not too much, just a math worksheet and one for science," Julia said with a smile. "Why?"

"Can we go to the beach?" Eliza asked hopefully.

"We can go wading," Alexis said. She wasn't surprised when her sisters looked at her in shock and she smiled saying, "Just wading; it's still warm."

"Great, I'll hurry and do my homework now," Julia replied before they went into the house.

The group gathered together at the kitchen table and Julia did her homework as Alexis and Louis began to prepare dinner together.

Eliza, watching them while she was getting buttons on a piece of paper to get ready to glue, said, "What are we gonna have?"

"Even though it's not Sunday I'm going to make you a traditional roast," Louis said.

"A roast?" Eliza asked, looking confused.

Smiling Alexis said, "We had that at Mrs. French's place in Liverpool remember?"

"Oh… really?" Eliza asked.

"Yeah isn't that a lot to make?" Julia said, looking over at them.

"We have most of it made already," Alexis replied. "We're just getting the roast itself set and then we'll be getting the mashed potatoes last."

"So we can still go outside?" Eliza asked.

"We will as soon as Julia finishes," Alexis replied as she watched her boyfriend getting the already made mini Yorkshire puddings he'd bought from a British store a few towns over. "And I'll be going with you two."

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll have a chance to wade again," Louis told them as the girls looked at him.

"I'm almost done," Julia said, going to her science worksheet next. She wrote her answers to the questions as fast as she could until finally she was finished and she jumped up to start getting her backpack ready for the next day.

As soon as she had finished gluing the last button after her sister had stood Eliza was cleaning up everything she had used herself. She left the jars of buttons as her sister would put them away for her and she hurried to Alexis, holding up her picture proudly. "Look," she told her. "For Mommy and Daddy."

"Is that the Golden Gate Bridge?" Louis asked, having looked over to see.

"Yeah, they were there yesterday," Eliza said, looking at her picture of lines of orange buttons with blue ones along the bottom.

"They'll love it," Alexis said with a smile as she held the picture. "All ready Jules?" she asked as her sister was walking back to her.

"Yep," Julia said. "Let's go wading!"

Not surprised when Eliza squealed Alexis set the picture on the kitchen table and said to Louis, "We'll be outside; come meet us when you can."

"I will," the young man replied. He looked outside and asked, "How long-"

"About twenty minutes," Alexis said.

"Got a bit more than that with this," Louis said. "But go, have fun."

Waving with her sister at him Julia took Alexis' hand before they went to the door to the yard. Once they'd walked outside they went together to the sand where they took off their shoes and socks, stepping into the breaking waves after.

"Think Mommy and Daddy had fun today?" Julia asked her sister as they watched Eliza picking up some shells.

"I don't-" Alexis started to say before she realized why her sister had asked that. She smiled at Julia and said, "You're just hoping they've seen a ghost."

"Huh?" the girl asked in confusion, not sure what her sister was talking about.

Alexis groaned and said, "Never mind."

"Are they going somewhere haunted?" Julia asked eagerly.

"Maybe, it wasn't for sure," Alexis replied. When her sister didn't say anything to that she said, "You don't want to know?"

"You let slip a secret," Julia said. She couldn't help smile at her sister's startled expression at her wording and she continued saying, "I could tell so I won't make you say. I'm just glad that they maybe… went somewhere… fun…"

"Okay?" Alexis asked in concern at the way her sister spoke.

"I think that's what was wrong," Julia said quietly, looking over at Eliza who was a little down the beach from them. "Something happened with Mommy wherever they went."

Alexis was tempted to say Beckett was probably fine but she knew about the bond mother and daughter had, also the sensitivity they both had as well. So instead she said to her seriously, "I'm sure they're okay."

"Hullo everyone," Louis called, coming down the beach with the dogs. "Dinner's nearly ready and the house smells wonderful if I do say so myself."

Smiling at her boyfriend as Julia giggled Alexis said, "I'm glad to hear that." She looked at her sisters; Julia having gone over to Eliza; and she told him what she'd talked about with Julia.

"So… you weren't kidding," Louis commented when she'd finished.

"It happens a lot," Alexis said. "Sort of," she said after hesitating. "We'll have to wait and see if anything happened with Kate when we talk to them."

"Would they say?" Louis asked her, wrapping his arm around her.

"I don't know," Alexis replied, touching his hand that was on her waist. "Julia might bring it up to check on her mother."

"Maybe," Louis said slowly. He looked at his watch and sighed saying, "I only had ten minutes to come out. The roast is ready and the potatoes nearly too."

"We'll follow," Alexis said. "Girls," she called out to them. "Come on and let's get the table set."

When the girls had reached her they went with their big sister into the house where they prepared for dinner, both eager to talk to their parents though for different reasons.

* * *

Opening the door that led out to the parlor Beckett smiled when she saw her husband was on his tablet. She could tell that he was playing a game though she couldn't see which one and she remained quiet as she walked up to him until she was half way there.

Hearing someone clearing their throat Castle jumped up and turned to his wife saying, "Kate."

"I-" Beckett started to say.

"I called Skye while you were asleep," Castle interrupted her in a rush. "And told her what happened. She says if you were just tired afterwards then you're fine and that Mrs. Winchester couldn't jump you. Not when I was able to get her back to the house so quickly. Sorry," he added. "I just wanted to make sure that you'd be okay."

"I'm fine," Beckett replied with a slight smile at how fast he was speaking. "Thank you for checking."

"I had to," Castle said. "So how did you sleep?" he asked her as she was walking over to him, watching her closely.

"Good," Beckett replied, not surprised when her husband placed his hand on her back. "I feel a lot better than when we left the house."

"Then I'm happy," Castle said as he leaned over and kissed her forehead. He wasn't surprised when she snorted slightly and he said, "Well," defensively though he smiled at her when she looked up at him. He leaned his head a little lower and kissed her on the lips, pleased when she immediately responded to him before they lingered for a while. When they parted he said, "Tonight-"

"Don't assume," Beckett interrupted him.

"I was going to say I hope there's some music," Castle said, smiling down at her as she visibly looked a little flustered.

"We can always dance here," Beckett said simply.

"That's true," Castle said before he led her over to the couch so they could sit. "Do you want to call the girls?"

"Hold on," Beckett said quickly. "You interrupted me earlier when I was going to tell you something." She smiled when he mouthed an apology and she then said, "Paul e-mailed me back."

"Really," Castle stated instead of asking.

"Really," Beckett said with a smile. "I was surprised myself," she told him. "But here," she said, opening her phone and giving it to him.

Reading the message Castle said, " _We'd love to go, send info and we'll see you there_. Short but it gets the point across. Did you reply?"

"I did and told him what you told me," Beckett said with a smile. "So he'll meet Skye."

"I didn't mention it," Castle said quickly in case she was hinting that.

"I didn't think you did," Beckett told him with a smile. "We need to call the girls."

"Should we tell them?" Castle asked gently, taking her hand with his free one as the other was wrapped around her still.

"Julia will know," Beckett replied as she put away her phone. She looked at her husband and seeing the sudden realization there she said, "I didn't think of it until I was reading Paul's message and thinking of what her reaction would be. But… I can't mention what I said…"

Castle became concerned when his wife faltered and he held her closer to him, feeling her shake once. "Kate? You-" he started to say.

"No, I'm fine," Beckett said, pulling away from him. She dried her eyes and told him, "I was remembering what she felt and I…"

"You thought you'd lost our baby seeing that," Castle said, knowing she was talking about her discovery the week before. At her nod, he kissed her tenderly before he said, "You didn't and don't think about what if, please."

Beckett was going to protest before she stopped and finally nodded her head before telling him, "Let's call the girls; I need to speak to them."

"Me too," Castle agreed. He kissed the side of her head before he got his phone and texted his daughter, waiting for her reply that they were ready.

Relieved when Alexis answered them quickly Beckett looked on while her husband was rushing to get the tablet connected to the TV in front of them before sitting with her. "Hey, you two," she said with a smile as their daughters appeared on the screen.

"Hi Mommy, Daddy!" the girls said at the same time.

"Hello Alexis," Beckett added when the young woman appeared behind the girls.

"Hey, how're you doing?" Alexis asked as she waved to her father.

"We're good, relaxing in our room before we head out for the party," Castle replied. "What about you?" he asked them.

"Do you want to hear about school?" Julia asked.

"Of course," Castle said first.

Eliza, after her sister had nodded to her, started talking about her day at school and she stopped before she got to the dance class, looking at Julia.

Taking over hurriedly the girl spoke about what she'd learned that day and then said, "And in the dance class someone joined us."

"You Eliza?" Castle asked, smiling at her.

"It's not too soon for that?" Beckett asked though she was smiling at the little girl as she could tell from the beaming smile on her face she was ecstatic about it.

"Ms. Grey said she could start by watching us," Julia said.

"And then she jumped right into practicing," Alexis added with a smile on her face. "And she didn't do too badly?"

"I'm still short," Eliza said. "But Ms. Grey says I can still move a lot."

"It's a start," Castle said, not surprised when the little girl nodded in agreement.

"What steps did you start out with?" Beckett asked.

"The Samba," the girls said at the same time.

"Shouldn't you have tried out the Waltz first?" Castle asked them.

"She said anywhere was good to start," Julia explained. "And since Lizzy's been watching us for so long she said she recognized the steps."

"I did," Eliza said, in case her parents were confused who her sister was talking about.

"And how did it go?" Beckett said.

"Good," the girls said together. They smiled at one another before Eliza turned back to their parents and she told them, "I got started on those steps."

"Good to hear," Beckett commented. "Are you going to show us some?"

Eliza giggled and said, "I thought you didn't care Mommy."

"I want to see more than hear," Beckett replied, not surprised when her husband bowed his head to hide his laughter from their daughters. She watched as Eliza stood with Julia, nudging her husband's side so he'd look too. She was smiling almost immediately as they began to move and started to dance together. She didn't take her eyes off the screen as they continued and when they stopped she applauded with Castle and Alexis. "You might learn a lot quicker than your sister did," she commented.

Julia smiled widely at her mother and said, "I know, she's lucky. I wish I'd had someone to help teach me."

"So is she going to need to go to the classes now?" Castle asked.

"Ms. Grey told me to tell you," Alexis said. "Yes."

"Why did you pause?" Castle asked in mock indignation.

Waiting for her sisters to stop laughing Alexis said, "To build suspense."

"Will you be able-" Beckett began to say.

"I can, don't worry," Alexis assured them.

"And after we came home," Julia said when her parents turned their attention to her. "I did my homework and we went out to wade until dinner."

"We just went in to our feet," Eliza said quickly to their parents.

"That's alright, it was still warm?" Castle said and then asked.

"It was," Alexis replied. "And up until you texted me we were playing Life."

"And Louis' talking to his family," Beckett stated.

"He is," Julia said quickly. "What about you, what did you do?"

Beckett glanced at her husband and when he smiled at her she took a slightly deep breath before turning to their daughters. She started with their drive, telling them they had seen a lot of interesting landscape before they had reached San Jose. She barely mentioned their lunch before she was telling them about the gardens at the Winchester Mystery House.

"How was the house?" Julia said.

Castle took over to tell about the tour they'd gone on and when he stopped he hesitated, looking at his wife.

"What is it?" Alexis asked, surprised.

"Did you see a spirit?" Julia asked.

Beckett breathed out heavily before she said, "According to your daddy and Skye, Sarah Winchester tried to…"

"Jump her," Castle said.

"She didn't succeed, did she?" Alexis asked in concern. When her stepmother looked at her she explained, "I looked into it after you told me what happened at the Octagon house in DC."

"She didn't, I managed to stop her from doing that and got her back into the house," Castle replied.

"Why did she do that?" Eliza asked softly.

"She was very sad," Beckett said to the little girl, placing her hand on her husband's arm to stop him from speaking. "She lost her husband and her baby very close together."

"Was she… jealous?" Eliza asked slowly.

"I think she connected to your mother," Castle said, staring at his wife as he spoke to let her know that he wasn't going to say what he really thought that connection was.

"You're okay now Kate?" Alexis asked, guessing there was a need for a change of subject.

"I'm good, I took a short nap and that really helped me," Beckett replied. "And that's all we've done today."

"We're going to have some tea and get ready before we go," Castle said, smiling at his wife when she turned to him.

"Sounds like that'll be nice," Julia said quickly.

"Yeah, do we say goodnight now?" Eliza asked.

"I think we should," Castle said. "Alexis, Julia and of course Eliza," he told them. He smiled as they laughed and he said, "I love the three of you very much; I miss you of course. And sweet dreams too."

"I love you Daddy," Eliza said first.

"Love you Daddy," Julia added.

"I guess it's my turn next," Alexis said with a smile. "And I love you too Dad."

"And I love you three too," Beckett said. "Do I need to name you?" she asked when Eliza pouted.

"Yeah," the little girl said stubbornly.

"Okay," Beckett said slightly laughingly. "Then I love you Eliza, Julia and Alexis; I'm going the opposite direction."

"Love you Mommy!" Julia cried out first.

"I love you too!" Eliza then said.

"Love you too Kate," Alexis said quickly. "And I hope you'll be alright."

"I will," Beckett said with a smile. "Have fun the rest of the night and we'll talk to you tomorrow."

"About that," Alexis said, looking at her sisters when they turned to her. "Since you're driving down you can wait until Friday to call us again."

"Are you sure?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, you're gonna go see stuff and then see Skye too," Eliza said.

"Alright we'll call then but we'll try to be a little earlier," Beckett said as Castle was looking to her to answer.

"Okay have a good time at the party," Eliza said.

"Yeah, we want to hear about it still," Julia said.

"We'll tell you," Beckett promised. After they'd said goodnight to their daughters she let him turn off the TV and she suddenly realized something, getting her phone out of her pocket.

"What is it?" Castle asked as he watched her.

"I forgot to ask Julia," Beckett said simply. She put the phone to speaker, hoping that their oldest was near her own phone.

"Mommy?" Julia asked, upstairs in her room after leaving her sisters and Louis for a moment to call Mari.

"Sweetie," Beckett said. "You knew what had happened."

"No," Julia said quickly. "I just felt like something was wrong and with you. I didn't know what but when Daddy said the Winchester house I knew it was there. But I thought that it was someone else." She hesitated and said, "You are okay, right?"

"I am," Beckett replied firmly. "I'll let you go to call Mari."

"How did you know?" Julia asked in shock.

Smiling Beckett replied, "I just knew, call her but don't take too long your sisters are waiting."

"They're playing Candyland," Julia explained.

"Then go ahead sweetie," Beckett said. "I love you, night."

"Love you Mommy, night," Julia replied before she hung up first.

"You have an amazing connection with her love," Castle said, taking the phone and turning it off.

Beckett just smiled at him, not sure what she could say, and leaned against him for a moment before they shared a kiss and then stood up together to get ready for the party; still close as they were holding onto one another tightly.

* * *

"Mr. Castle, Ms. Beckett it's wonderful to see you," the 'host' for the party said as he shook their hands in turn. "Please walk around and you're free to walk over the grounds as well if you wish."

"Couldn't go inside?" Castle asked, using a British accent before he felt his wife nudge his side.

"I'm afraid the museum closed two hours ago," the man replied. "But there's plenty to see around here."

With a nod Castle watched him go before saying to his wife, "I still think we should reverse our names."

"You were the writer first love," Beckett said simply as they walked further into the tent where the party was being held. "We're not having this discussion again."

"At some point you'll agree," Castle commented. When he looked at his wife he wasn't surprised when she just looked at him and he just smiled at her, raising and lowering his eyebrows a few times before she laughed. He led them over to the head of the museum; who had offered the grounds for their party; and he and Beckett signed his book as he congratulated them.

"This is definitely one of your great books," the man was saying as Castle signed after his wife. "I couldn't put it down."

"That's great to hear," Beckett said with a smile. "Thank you for reading and letting us come here… it's a beautiful building."

"It is," the man replied with a nod. He looked over at it and said, "I understand you solved a murder involving Ancient Egypt."

Since the case had been completed with the killers in jail Beckett said, "The victims were posed as deities. But it was just to set up-"

"Dr. Carter, yes he's a friend of mine," the museum head interrupted. "Will you be writing anything about Ancient Egypt in your books?"

"We may," Castle said, smiling as he glanced at his wife. "We're not quite sure yet."

"I'm glad to hear that; I would use Dr. Carter… both Dr. Carters I should say," the museum head told them.

"We'll definitely have to do that," Beckett said with a nod. Once the man had left them she looked at her husband and said, " _I'm not surprised_."

" _Neither am I_ ," Castle replied. " _Shall we continue_?"

" _I think we need to_ ," Beckett said, smiling at him. They then made their way around the people that were there, greeting them and signing some books before they were separated. At that point she missed her friends; any of her friends; as there wasn't really anyone she could talk to. When she managed to move away from some women who were a little too enthusiastic talking about the love scenes in the new book she went to get some water to drink when a voice behind her made her freeze.

"Drop the water bottle," the person growled.

Beckett set it down and turned around, laughing, and said, "May!" before she hugged her friend tightly. "What are you doing here?"

"Rick invited us," May replied. "I guess he figured we'd never have a chance to be at a book party since you didn't have one back in Frisco."

"I'm glad you came," Beckett said, shaking Luke's hand as her husband was behind her. "But the kids?"

"My mother," May answered. "And we're spending the night at the Fairmont too."

"And going into work later tomorrow," Luke said. "Thank you for the room Rick," he said to Castle who'd walked up to them.

"I was happy to do it," he replied, shaking hands with the couple. "And I'm glad you made it."

"We are too; this place is amazing isn't it?" May asked. "You should see inside."

"We're going to try when we come back with our kids," Beckett said. She wasn't surprised when her friend looked at her questioningly and she explained, "We have this idea for a West Coast tour."

"Like your book tour now?" Luke asked.

"More, from Vancouver all the way down to San Diego," Castle said.

"Call us if you do that," May said to Beckett.

"We will," Beckett promised. "You want something to drink?"

"No, let's walk," May said. "Guys, you stay here," she directed to their husbands, tapping her husband's chest with the end of her clutch.

"You can't tell my husband what to do," Beckett said in a mock annoyed tone.

"We're fine here," Castle said, smiling at his wife before she left with May. He looked at Luke and said, "Get you some wine?"

Outside of the tent May went to the nearest path and said, "So how was it today? That house is amazing, isn't it? But I always felt it was way over decorated."

"It is," Beckett said slowly. She wasn't surprised when her friend looked at her and she quickly explained what had happened. "There's something I didn't tell you," she said when they were both silent. She told her friend what had happened to her the week before and said, "I can't shake the idea, as ridiculous as it is, that I…"

"Failed?" May asked. When her friend looked at her she said, "I can sympathize. Luke and I were trying to have George since the girls were a year old. It took three years and you have no idea how depressed I got each month when there was no sign of a baby…"

"But you had George in the end," Beckett replied.

"I did," May said slowly. "But it didn't make the years leading up to when I knew any easier. Just… try not to let it devour you. You have two beautiful children and they need you still."

"I know," Beckett said softly. She smiled slightly mirthlessly and said, "Rick and I agreed to put this out of our minds."

"Easier said than done," May replied. When her friend nodded she squeezed her arm; since they were walking arm in arm; and said, "Let's talk about something not so sad. Are you and Rick planning on stopping anywhere during the drive down tomorrow?"

Until their husbands came to find them for dinner Beckett and May talked about the next day, going around the grounds within view of the tent so they'd be easily spotted. The four sat together at a table for dinner and the talk turned to the rest of the book tour that Castle and Beckett had until they were being served their desserts.

"I was almost afraid it was going to be themed to our book," Castle couldn't help saying to his wife.

"They never have done that," Beckett said in mock annoyance.

"Still," Castle said as he cut into the pyramid shaped cake on his plate with his fork. He smiled at his wife when she pushed at his shoulder and he said to May and Luke, "The head of the museum was talking to us about our past case."

"Do you mind Ancient Egypt," Luke asked them both.

"No," Beckett answered. "It's not something we're fanatical about but we enjoy it when we see it."

"I was interested in coming here when I found out we were coming here," Castle said.

"You weren't?" May asked her friend when she didn't say anything.

"He surprised me with this one," Beckett said, glancing at her husband as she raised her eyebrow slightly.

"Just this one, it's a little… different," Castle began. When he saw that May and Luke were looking at him in puzzlement he explained, "This isn't the only museum we'll be having a book party at."

"We'll be at the Getty," Beckett said. "I think they know we appreciate museums; a lot."

"That's an understatement," May said in amusement. When the men looked at her she told them, "She made me take her to as many of them in Frisco as possible when we were in college. But that should be interesting."

"You've been there?" Castle asked.

"We have," Luke replied. "We've gone down to LA and went sightseeing. We went to the Getty with the girls before George was born."

"That was a beautiful place," May said. "And I'm so jealous of you. Don't invite us," she told them quickly as she saw Beckett was opening her mouth to speak. "We can't leave our kids like that and we got to come here tonight."

"Alright but that invitation to the beach house stands," Beckett replied, smiling at her.

Tapping her glass against her friend's May sipped at her wine before she heard music playing. She looked at the couple across from her and Luke and said, "Dancing?"

"There is, not much else you can do at a party," Castle replied with a shrug. "Even a book party," he said as he stood up. "Dance with me?" he asked his wife with a smile as she quickly looked up at him.

Beckett's response was to stand and place her hand into his before he led her out to the dance floor. They immediately held onto each other and she pressed her cheek to his murmuring, "I still want to dance back at the hotel."

Castle smiled and said, "Me too." When she turned her head to look at him he sighed and said, " _I wish I could kiss you_."

Smiling at him Beckett pressed her cheek back to his before she murmured, " _So do I_." When she felt his hands rubbing gently around her back she pressed a little harder against him before she concentrated on moving until the song finished.


	7. Find Some Peace Of Mind (Part 2)

"Mind if we cut in?" Luke asked as he and May came over to the couple.

"No," Beckett replied with a smile. She glanced at her husband and when she saw no protest on his face she said, "We're probably just going to dance with you tonight; besides each other."

"We should get started," May said as other couples around them were beginning to dance.

"I find myself not sure what to say to you," Luke said once he and Beckett were in a more formal hold.

"This is the first time we've danced with each other, isn't it?" Beckett asked him with a smile as they were doing so then.

"It was, although why we didn't dance at your wedding I don't know," Luke replied. "Well, I guess there's always you wanting to ask me anything."

"How's May doing?" Beckett asked him.

"She's doing really great though I wish work didn't stress her out so much," Luke replied. "But she loves it so I can't ask her to stop of course. And she loves her current job."

"I'm not surprised to hear that," Beckett said with a smile.

"Think your husband is asking my wife about you?" Luke said after they were quiet for a moment and looked at their spouses.

"Or she's asking him," Beckett replied.

Hearing her husband laugh suddenly May glanced over at the two before she looked back at Castle and said, "I'm glad they get along."

"I know," he replied with a nod. "I wouldn't like to think of the idea of them not. Or us."

"Is that you asking me to say I think you're a great husband for Kate?" May asked as she glanced back at him. "Because if it is-"

"It's not," Castle said, smiling slightly. He noticed the woman was looking at him and he asked, "What?"

"She's alright? Besides what you've been trying to do," May said, adding the last bit swiftly.

"She is though we both miss our girls," Castle replied. "But our book came out now so we need to promote it."

"At least you two are together," May said.

"That's true," Castle replied. "Did she tell you anything about when I was in DC?"

"She e-mailed me," May replied with a nod. "And I never expected her to be like that but it does speak to your relationship. I'm sure you heard that before from anyone who knew her."

"We did," Castle said. "My friends said the same about me though I wasn't around them in DC of course."

"Of course," May said with a smile. The music ended and she said, "Now I have a really strong desire to dance with my husband again."

With a smile Castle led her over to Luke and Beckett and he took his wife's hand, leading her out of the tent without a word. He was relieved when she didn't say anything and he eventually turned to her. For a moment he couldn't say anything, just pulling her into his arms as she allowed him to do that willingly.

After they had parted from the kiss they'd shared Beckett smiled at her husband and said, "You couldn't help yourself, could you?"

"You knew what I was going to do," Castle replied. "If you wanted to stop it you would have."

Beckett rolled her eyes before she leaned over to kiss him again when she paused, a rush of uncertainty filling her then.

"Kate?" Castle asked, watching her and startled at way her expression had changed so quickly.

"Something's wrong with Julia," Beckett said breathily, concern on her face.

"It's eleven… a nightmare," Castle said.

"I have to call her," Beckett told him urgently. She was relieved when he didn't say anything, instead grabbed his phone and handed it to her. She pressed his listing for their daughter's number and put it to speaker, hoping she was going to wake up their oldest and her fear had been unfounded. But shortly after she thought that Julia was answering the phone.

"Daddy?" the girl asked.

"It's both of us sweetie," Beckett said, looking at her husband.

"Oh, Mommy I'm so glad you called," Julia said in obvious relief. "And you too Daddy."

"Are you okay?" Castle asked, frowning at her tone of voice.

"Y- no," Julia started to say before she corrected herself. "I had a nightmare."

"It's alright Julia," Beckett said gently, cursing them being so far away at that moment. "What was it about?" she asked though she had an idea of that already.

"I just remember walking down a hallway and hearing a baby crying," Julia replied. "I think it was Lizzy when she was a baby. But there were no doors and I was running trying to get to her but the crying just got louder and louder and… I never found her and I was crying and scared."

"It's alright," Castle said, holding his wife to him as she closed her eyes tightly. "You're awake now and that was just a dream," he added to try and comfort them both.

"He's right, you don't have to worry about it anymore," Beckett said, recovering himself then. "I just wish I hadn't told you about the Winchester house."

"But I knew the story already Mommy," Julia protested quickly. "It's not your fault; you didn't make me have the dream."

"I-" Beckett started to say.

"It's not your fault," Julia said firmly.

Sighing as she knew from her daughter's tone she wasn't going to let her say anything else about that Beckett said, "Do you feel better now?"

"Yes," Julia said simply.

"Then get back to sleep okay? You do have school tomorrow," Beckett told her.

"She's right," Castle said. "Night sweetheart, sweet dreams okay?"

"Thanks Daddy, you too," Julia said. "And you too Mommy; I love you both."

"We love you too sweetie," Beckett replied.

"She's right we do," Castle added quickly. "We'll see you on Friday."

"I can't wait, bye Mommy, Daddy," Julia said before she hung up her phone first after they'd said goodbye as well.

"Kate-" Castle started to say.

Shaking her head Beckett walked away from him and said, "I shouldn't have said anything. And I know I didn't make her have the dream but still, what I told her-"

"We love," Castle told her as he made his way over to where she was standing. "We told her and she's seen the episodes of _Ghost Adventures_ there because of me… And while I feel bad she had to experience that we didn't force her to go through it."

Beckett nodded but didn't say anything, looking up at her husband as he took her hand.

"That and she guessed that something was wrong; she'd felt it," Castle reminded her. "So I'm not sure you could have gotten away with not telling her what happened to you."

"That's true," Beckett said. She sighed before groaning in frustration and told him, "I was afraid this was going to happen."  
"I had a feeling," Castle replied. When his wife looked at him in surprise he explained, "When we said goodnight to them I realized she might have a nightmare. Though I don't think she sensed what you were going through for that long."

"Probably not," Beckett replied. She let him pull her against his side and she said, "She'll be alright."

"Of course," Castle replied. "Good thing you talked to her," he said seriously. "I'm glad you could sense that she wasn't…"

"Unsettled? That's about the best word for that," Beckett said with a smile. She shared a kiss with him before she embraced him as tightly as she could. When they'd parted she said, "Let's go back."

"Do we need to?" Castle asked with a mock suffering sigh.

"Yes," Beckett replied. "It is our party."

"I guess you're right," Castle said. He let her pull him by the hand, hoping they wouldn't have to stay for too much longer before they could head back to their hotel. He suddenly recalled how she had wanted to go swimming and he was about to remind her of that when someone hurried over to him. He tried not to sigh too loudly as he turned his attention to what the man was saying, trying to resist the urge to look at his watch as he wanted to leave even more.

* * *

"I'm so surprised," May commented.

"What?" Beckett asked, looking at her.

"I'm so surprised you two did that," May finished

"We don't always stay that long," Beckett replied. "Well, we've started to request we be allowed to leave early from these parties."

"It's not early, we were there for three and a half hours," Castle commented as he sat down at the end of the lounge chair his wife had chosen. They were at the rooftop pool of their hotel and Luke was getting them drinks for while they were there.

"Is that long for you guys?" May then asked.

"No, it's about how much we-I- have patience for," Beckett said with a smile at her husband.

"Looks like it," Castle said, smiling back. He saw May was looking at him and he said, "I would stay longer but… no reason to now."

"Not when I want to leave," Beckett said as May turned her attention to her. "Which is flattering of course."

"Of course," the woman said. "Well, I'm going to swim. Tell Luke if I'm underwater I'll come right out once I see him."

"They're close, right?" Castle said to his wife as they watched the woman diving into the water.

"You couldn't tell when they were dancing together?" Beckett asked in amusement.

Castle said seriously to her; as he turned to look straight at her; "I was only paying attention to you."

"Kiss ass," Beckett replied with a wry grin on her face. She then said, "They were close, I could see while we were dancing."

"And that applies to them in general? You could tell?" Castle said.

"Yes," Beckett said simply but firmly as she saw Luke coming out with an employee who was holding a tray with three cups.

"This is yours Kate," the man said, handing the glass in his hands to her.

"Your wife-" Castle began to say.

"Is right here," May said, taking her drink as she came up to her husband from behind.

Luke watched the man; who he'd already tipped; go back into the hotel and he said, "I made sure yours was non-alcoholic."

"Thank you," Beckett said with a smile at him. She sipped at her non-alcoholic kiwi daiquiri and said, "It's a good thing it's still warm."

"It is," May said. She had sipped her drink so she said with a smile, "Perfect."

"How much have you had?" Castle asked.

"Liquor?" May asked. When he nodded he replied, "Just this one and my wine."  
"I'm just wondering," Castle said when he saw Luke and his wife were looking at him.

"I'm at my limit; I always watch out for that," May commented.

"So do I," Luke said. "You didn't have any," he then said to Castle as the drink he'd gotten for the writer was a non-alcoholic piña colada.

"I don't want to be buzzed or close to it while she's completely sober," he replied, glancing at his wife.

"I told him he didn't need to do that but he insists," Beckett said with a smile. She drank a little more of her daiquiri before she said, "I wish we would have come back sooner."

"This is nice," May replied. They were quiet before she said, "They're going to stop in Solvang, Luke."

"Oh yeah?" the man said, smiling at Castle and Beckett.

"He found out about it in the California travel book we have," Beckett said. "And he showed it to me and I got interested myself."

"It's a quaint little town," Luke said first.

"A lot of Danish stuff and that's the charm of course," May said. "I'm not saying anything else you two need to discover it on your own."

Laughing Becket said, "We'll do that," before she finished her drink.

"Alright, I'm going for a swim," Luke said in a rush as he stood.

"What about the glasses?" May asked as he was taking her by the hand.

"They'll pick them up," Luke replied simply before he pulled her to the pool.

"You were right," Castle said to his wife when the two were in the water.

"The fact that she let him take her?" Beckett asked in amusement.

"Yes," Castle said, smiling at her before he got up and went to sit next to her.

"Not while they're here," Beckett said, smiling back at him.

"Unless they start doing something," Castle pointed out to her.

"Which they won't," Beckett said easily, smiling wider.

Castle started to lean into her when there was the sound of water being splashed and he looked over to see it was May. "Are we supposed to join you?" he asked.

"Up to you," the woman replied.

"Come on," Beckett told her husband before she stood. She went to the stairs and went in before she took off through the water, knowing Castle was watching her. She ducked underneath the water and swam as far as she could before she needed to resurface. When she looked behind her she was pleased to see her husband close behind her and she smiled at him before she said, "We should stay here for a while."

"If that's what you want," Castle said. He looked around for May and Luke when he saw them walking out of the pool. "You called us in for what?" he called to the two.

"So you'll use the pool too," May called out.

"You're going in," Beckett stated.

"We need… sleep," Luke started to say before his wife glanced at him.

"You always need rest," Beckett said, pulling herself out of the pool from the side.

May, looking at her friend in surprise, then started to laugh and said, "You make a perfect point. What time are you leaving?"

"We want to be on the road by eight," Castle said.

"Drive straight through to Solvang?" Luke asked as he and his wife were drying themselves off.

"We might stop here and there," Beckett replied. "But we want to get there in between twelve and one for lunch, shop and get to Santa Monica by about… four or five."

"If that's possible," Castle added. "Traffic of course."

"Oh, that's a big of course," May said.

"You might make it though," Luke said. "We'll be up, have breakfast with us in our-"

"Better make it our room," Castle quickly told them. "We have a suite and there's more than enough space."

"Alright, we'll be there at seven," May said.

"We'll be waiting," Beckett said before they hugged quickly. She watched with her husband after he'd shaken the couple's hands; and she'd shaken Luke's; telling them goodnight. She had to cover her mouth with her hand as Luke grasped his wife's ass through her sundress near the door to the hotel, trying not to laugh out loud.

"You could have waited," Castle couldn't help calling in mock annoyance. When he got a loud, "Nope," in response that the man dragged out until the door closed behind the two he and Beckett started to laugh heavily together.

"Oh my god… well now you've got visual proof too," she told her husband.

"I guess so," Castle replied. He was going to ask her if she wanted to go swimming again when she turned and went to the edge of the pool, diving in without a word to him. A smile on his face he followed her and swam after her before he had reached her and could speak.

"Let's go," Beckett said the second her husband had opened his mouth.

"But… that's it?" Castle asked.

"We'll be at Skye and Mary's tomorrow; they told me it's still warm there and we can swim until we become sea lions," Beckett replied. When her husband looked at her in confusion she said, "Their words not mine."

"That makes more sense," Castle said with a laugh. He left the pool with her and they walked together over to their towels, drying themselves off quickly.

"We need to rinse off," Beckett said. She nodded over to the outside showers before she told him, "Which tells you they have a nice shower too. Did I thank you for getting them a room?"

"No but you're very welcome," Castle said, smiling at her widely. "Wait, why did we dry off?" he asked her as they walked over to the showers.

"Did you want to slip?" Beckett asked. She wasn't surprised when he smiled yet again at her and they then rinsed off next to each other before they went back to the lounge chair to dry off again. Once they had their cover ups on they went hand in hand back inside, going to the elevator up to their room. Inside she said to him, "You're not uncomfortable," as he was wearing the dress shirt and trousers he'd had on over his swim trunks.

"I'm fine," Castle said, going to get his phone.

Beckett smiled and told him, "I'm going to brush out my hair; I'll be right out."

Watching her go Castle breathed out before he turned his attention to his phone, searching frantically until he had found what he was looking for. By then his wife was walking out to him and he hurriedly put aside his phone saying, "You look amazing."

"I just brushed out my hair," Beckett said. She wasn't surprised when his brow furrowed and she smiled saying, "And dried it. I'm assuming you want to dance still?" nodding to his phone.

At that Castle looked down at his wife's bare feet and hurried to remove his shoes and socks before he played the song he'd found before. When the first chords played he wasn't surprised to see the recognition on his wife's face and smiled at her before he wrapped his arms around her. As they began to sway he murmured the lyrics to her, feeling her shiver as his breath tickled her ear.

 _My dark sweet lady  
You really got to me  
You gave me everything  
I've really fallen_

 _You came and helped me through  
When I'd let go  
You came from out the blue  
Never have known what I'd done without you_

 _My dark sweet lady  
Your heart so close to mine  
You shine so heavenly  
I love you dearly_

 _You came and helped me through  
When I'd let go  
You came from out the blue  
Never have known what I'd done without you_

 _My dark sweet lady  
Your heart so close to mine  
You shine so heavenly  
I love you dearly  
My dark sweet lady_

"Hopefully that works," Castle commented with a smile as she pulled away to look at him when the song ended.

"I know it was for Olivia," Beckett said. "But I don't get the feeling George would mind you using it for me."

"No," Castle replied, reluctantly letting her go.

"If you have another song go ahead," Beckett said, still smiling at him. She watched him go back to his phone and hearing the beginning of the song she smiled saying, "He wouldn't," reaching for him as he turned to her.

Castle was relieved when she leaned against him, pressing close, and he couldn't help murmuring the lyrics once more to her.

 _Can't stop thinking about you  
Can't stop thinking about you  
And it's no good living without you  
I can't stop thinking about you_

 _Can't stop thinking about you  
Can't stop thinking about you  
And it's no good living without you  
I can't stop thinking about you_

 _When the night time comes around  
Daylight has left me, I  
I can't take it, if I don't see you no more  
I can't help it, I need your loving so much more_

 _And I can't stop thinking about you  
Can't stop thinking about you  
And it's no good living without you  
I can't stop thinking about  
I can't stop thinking about  
I can't stop thinking about you_

 _Can't stop thinking about  
Can't stop thinking about  
Can't stop thinking about you_

At that moment Beckett pulled away to look at her husband and she kissed him, doing so as deeply as she could. They slowly parted finally and she smiled at him before she pressed closer again to him as he whispered the lyrics to her as he had been before.

 _When the morning comes around  
And the daylight gets to me, I  
I can't take it, if I don't see you no more  
I can't help it, I need your loving so much more  
_

 _And I can't stop thinking about you  
I can't stop thinking about you  
And it's no good living without you  
I can't stop thinking about  
I can't stop thinking about  
I can't stop thinking about you_

 _I can't stop thinking about  
Can't stop thinking about  
Can't stop thinking about you_

 _I can't stop thinking about  
I can't stop thinking about  
I can't stop thinking about you_

When those lyrics had faded out Beckett smiled and let go of her husband so she could cup his face, bringing him close enough for her to brush her lips against his. "Hmm, come on," she told him. She took his hand and waited for him to grab his phone before they went into the bedroom. She turned to him at the bed and said, "I want something."

"Don't know what yet?" Castle asked.

"No," Beckett said.

"Neither do I," Castle replied. "Why don't we…" he started to say before he pulled her over to the couch that was in the bedroom. They sat down together before they began to kiss and he held her firmly by the small of her back with one hand while the other was cupping the side of her neck. When they'd shared a few, he pulled away and pressed his forehead against hers saying, "This is a good start."

"It is," Beckett said, reaching for his groin. She placed her hand firmly down on him there, looking up at him in slight surprise.

"I…" Castle started to say before he cleared his throat. Trying again he told her, "I'm unable to resist you in a bikini."

"I had a feeling," Beckett said with amusement. She leaned into him a little more and they shared a kiss before she said, "But for now…" She was pleased when he kissed her and she lost herself in the numerous ones they were exchanging. They were quick so by the time they stopped, panting for air, her lips were heavily swollen and she was unsure what they would do next.

Looking at each other intently it took Castle and Beckett little time before they were embracing each other frantically until finally she was lying back on the couch with him above her. They were so lost in one another that when they stopped they had to recover a little until they could speak, the room silent except for the heaviness of their breathing that punctuated it before one of them could finally muster the energy to talk.

"Do you want to move?" Castle asked her.

"Yes, but just so I can sit up," Beckett said. She waited for her husband to do that before she followed him and straddled his lap. She couldn't help smiling at him as he looked at her with wide eyes and she said, "You want to stop?"

"How much can we do," Castle replied.

Beckett almost laughed and when she saw her husband was looking at her in confusion she smiled and told him, "It's funny you would care about time."

"Well-" Castle said before he had to stop when she leaned down and kissed him. As soon as she'd pulled away he said, "We are getting up early."

"And you have to drive; I know," Beckett said. "We can't do much but… we could make it enough."

"Please," Castle said. When she leaned down and kissed him he was quick to respond to her, holding her tightly before her tongue was slipping into his mouth. He groaned heavily in pleasure as they were soon grasping onto one another tightly and almost becoming a little rough before they finally stopped and parted.

Holding his face in her hands Beckett said, "Will you let me?"

"Let you what?" Castle asked immediately in response, watching her closely.

Beckett didn't reply, leaning over again and gently kissing around his face before she ended by kissing along his jaw on both sides. She had been doing that for some time before she pulled away and reached behind her for the zipper on her sundress. She wasn't surprised when her husband watched her doing that, or when his eyes widened at the sight of her pulling down the top of her dress until her breasts were exposed.

Staring at her Castle found himself breathless and he sat up a little more before he reached up with slightly shaking hands. Cupping her mounds, he shuddered at the fact that her skin was warm and soft against his palms before he bowed his head. He heard his wife cry out heavily at the first kiss he brushed against her right breast and he continued to do that to the other. He looked up at her as he sat up straight and said, "Stop?"

At first Beckett couldn't speak but she finally managed to, telling him, "If you do you can test this sofa tonight."

Castle smirked and bowed his head again while at the same time he pressed his hands on her back so she bent it slightly. It brought her breasts out a bit and that helped him as he took her left nipple into his mouth, suckling at it hungrily as soon as his lips had closed around it. He soon after felt her nails gently digging into his scalp and he did that for some time. When he stopped to breathe he blew over her damp skin, watching the taut nub become even more so. "Again?" he asked her.

"You need to," Beckett said, not surprised her voice was a little weak as she was trying to take what her husband had been making her feel. She watched as he leaned down and began to suck at her other breast until her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she caressed his hair tenderly until he was stopping again. Letting out a gasp as he blew against her skin she watched him straighten up again. As soon as he was she was throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him hard, feeling him responding immediately before he was suddenly standing up with her still in his arms to her shock.

Though their kiss ended at that point Castle didn't let go of his wife, laying her down on the bed once he'd reached it. He smiled at her and leaned down, kissing her tenderly before he pulled back to look at her.

"Come on," Beckett said in slight annoyance. She reached up to his shirt and tugged, pulling him on top of her before she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. They weren't kissing but their lips were close as they were breathing a little hard and she finally said, "We still have our clothes on."

"We can keep them on for a little longer," Castle said with a smile. He kissed her deeply and for a while; after he'd plunged his tongue into her mouth; their tongues were dueling frantically. He was reluctant to stop as he was greatly enjoying the taste of her along with the feel of her before he said, "Just a little."

Beckett was going to reply when suddenly her husband's hand was slipping underneath her dress. She held herself still as it inched upwards and she then moaned as his hand slid over her leg and then between both.

"Help me," Castle said, moving away so she could spread her legs. He didn't force her to do that, instead waited for her to move them herself. When she had done that he then moved to lie down in between her legs, pushing the skirt of her dress out of the way. He then lowered his head, kissing around her inner thighs before moving up to her sex which was bare as she'd taken off her bikini bottoms in the bathroom as well. While she gasped above him he started with her clit, licking gently at it at first before he proceeded to kiss it. Her gasps became cries and he was spurred to continue for as long as he could until he went lower to her entrance.

Beckett was clutching tightly at the bed underneath her as her husband's tongue was literally rolling around her until it delved into her. "Rick!" she cried out in her pleasure. She felt him moving away from her and she immediately sat up as he scrambled a little to get out of her way. She took his face in her hands and kissed him, deeply before they were dueling again until he carefully moved. "Don't-" she began to say.

"I'm not but we need to get our clothes out of the way," Castle replied. He helped her first with her dress and assisted her with his clothing which took some time as he was wearing more than she had been. Finally, he was climbing back onto the bed after taking off his trunks and he lay directly on her. "Good?" he asked.

"For the moment," Beckett said, biting at her lower lip.

Castle had a good response for that when suddenly his wife was kissing him again. Though he'd wanted to get things started he allowed her to take things over that time before she was moving away first. "How do you want-" he started to say.

Beckett covered his mouth with her hand before she spread her legs apart and raised her left; wrapping it tightly around his back as she'd lifted it as far as she could. She waited for him to move, sliding into her gently as she cried out heavily in joy since she was super sensitive to him. Ultimately, he was within her fully and she threw her right leg haphazardly around both of his, holding on tightly to him as she waited for him to finally move.

"What do you want my love?" Castle asked her as he stared into her eyes.

"Fuck me lover," Beckett replied seriously. She was next crying out heavily in complete joy as he was getting deep within her already. As she was trying to respond to his thrusts with her own she was attempting to raise her hips for him to bring him further. She couldn't do so too much but finally he was angling his own hips down. He managed to strike her clit and she cried out heavily as it was an instant jolt of pleasure through her. She could feel her body responding in the form of extra energy and for a moment she was able to go faster than she had been before. She and Castle groaned at the same time in response as she knew he felt as if an explosion had gone through him as well. When they had recovered enough she brought him to her lips and they were soon kissing hungrily as she ran her hands over his back as far as she could until finally he pulled away from her.

"I have to stop," Castle told his wife, panting for air. He couldn't stop himself then, leaning down and kissing her as hard as he could before they slowly parted. He pressed his forehead to hers and said, "You said we could-"

"Then you need to pull out," Beckett told him, forcing the words out as what she was feeling from the friction between them was overpowering her. She wasn't surprised when her husband made a face briefly at that idea and she cupped his cheek when he moved away slightly. She expected him to say something but he was thrusting frantically and without the rhythm he'd had before. "Wait… stop!" she finally had to gasp to him as he was moving too hard within her.

With a hard groan of her name Castle tried not to collapse on his wife as he suddenly lost his energy to hold himself up. He managed to stay up and he said, "Do you want me to move now?" When she nodded he couldn't help groaning in disappointment before he did so, lying next to her as she turned to him and wrapped her arms around him. He sighed and said, "I have a short memory." When she looked at him he said, "Forgot that we wanted to stop."

Smiling Beckett kissed along his jaw for a moment before she said, "We shouldn't stay like this for too long."

"We'll see," Castle said, not surprised when his wife looked at him in surprise and told her, "Do we really need to time this."

Laughing softly Beckett raised her head enough to kiss him before she said, "No but I thought you'd want to get back to it sooner."

"Then we'll have to start and stop," Castle pointed out.

With a smile Beckett said, "Alright what do you want to do now?"

"How long have we been making love?" Castle asked instead of answering.

"I don't know," Beckett told him honestly. "And now you want to time this?"

"I think," Castle said slowly as he studied his wife. "I should say no." When she smirked at him he breathed out a little hard before he sat up and murmured into her ear.

"You'll be playing with fire," Beckett said teasingly to try and hide how much his request affected her.

"I'll do it with you," Castle replied seriously. When she bit at her lower lip he leaned over, capturing them both before they were kissing one another passionately and he held her close by placing his hand on her back. After they'd parted he smiled and nuzzled her lips before telling her, "Just for a little."

"Rare for you to ask me," Beckett said with a smirk as she waited for him to lie down.

"It might be," Castle replied. He reached up before he could continue and cupped her cheek so he could caress her lower lip with his thumb. As he was doing that he said, "But I suddenly have the urge to feel you."

"A lot more than that," Beckett said before she leaned down and kissed his lips briefly and moved. She leaned down and kissed at his chest, brushing her lips to his a little bit before she moved to his nipples. She flicked her tongue at them both in turn, quickly, before stopping and looking up at him.

"That's it?" Castle breathed out heavily as he watched her.

Beckett couldn't help laughing softly and she pressed a kiss to the center of his chest before she pulled away and kissed him on the lips. When they'd parted she brought her hand up and proceeded to caress his chest before she slowly made her way down on him.

Holding himself absolutely still as he kept his eyes on her Castle looked on while she was going from side to side on his abdomen until she'd reached his erection. "Wait," he breathed out heavily. "That's enough," he told her when she glanced up at him and he pulled her up to him and they kissed deeply as he moved to place her on her back rapidly. "That would have been too much."

"Now you know what to do to me," Beckett told him with a smile. When he just looked at her she let out a slight laugh and said, "The same."

Castle just looked at her for a little longer before he had to break their gaze and he moved down to her neck. He spent some time there kissing around it before he had to stop as he could feel how hard her heart was beating. He paused for a moment, just seeing what he wanted to do next, before he said, "Does it matter how I do this?" When she just gave him a look he nodded quickly and moved his head to her stomach, kissing around it and feeling the way her skin responded to him as well.

When Castle had finally stopped kissing her there Beckett breathed a little hard at the remnant sensation of his lips against her. She didn't have much of a chance to recover as suddenly he was kissing around her breasts next. She cried out in joy at the sensation and could feel her arousal getting more and more out of control. Finally though she could reach down and stop him and she told him, "I can't… I can't," unable to say anything else.

"Don't worry, I can't either," Castle told her honestly before he moved up her body so he could kiss her deeply. He let his attention be distracted by that until finally they were catching their breath and he looked down at her intently.

"What is it?" Beckett asked as she'd been watching him.

Castle didn't say anything at first, instead turned them around again and got on his knees before his wife was doing the same. He was going to grab her hips to move her when she beat him to it, raising her body above him until she lowered it with his help. They were both making satisfied sounds as they soon after coupled together and once they had their hips against each other he said, "I'm letting you start."

"Thank you," Beckett replied with a slight smirk, brushing her lips to his after. She proceeded to flex her sex around his length to watch the way her husband reacted before she began to move. Using her knees, she pushed herself up and down a few times before Castle hissed and grasped the small of her back. She rocked her hips and was quick to find her pace before she could feel her husband joining her shortly after. The friction between them was swift and she wasn't sure their break would really help for that long. She wanted to tell him; to warn him; about that when he pulled her down enough so they could kiss one another deeply and passionately and she forgot about what she wanted to do as she was concentrating on kissing him back as hard as she could.

Castle's hands that had been on the small of her back moved down to her ass and he cupped it firmly, making her gasp roughly. He moved his lips to her neck, kissing around it wildly before he latched onto a bit of it and started to suck. When she began to moan he kept working on her until she forcefully pushed him away and he apologized breathlessly before she was taking him in another kiss. They kept that up for a while, trying their best to use it as a distraction before they parted from breathlessness. Looking up into her eyes he told her, "Tell me when you're going to come."

"I'm…" Beckett said before she let out a breathy laugh and smiled slightly. "I'm close… you feel… I can feel your cock Rick… so deep… oh god," she told him, tilting her head back.

Kissing against her neck again Castle nearly growled before he could stop himself as he caught sight of the bruise that was beginning to form on her already. He wanted to speak but things were getting too out of control for him to do so. Unable to do much else he focused on moving with her and they spent some time just kissing and touching each other frantically. He had no idea how long they were doing that but finally he stopped and could say, "You feel amazing love I… can feel your pussy so tight… I don't think I'll be able to stop."

"Oh… I'm going to come!" Beckett cried out as something in the moment pushed her over the edge. She began to cry out his name and was doing so repeatedly as the ecstasy; slowed by their break; was overwhelming. She was grasping onto him as tightly as she could until finally she could feel him joining her. Her back arched for a second time as he was somehow able to make her orgasm for a second time, her nails digging into his back roughly, listening to his name repeatedly on her lips.

Castle was shocked he and his wife weren't passing out as the pleasure they were giving each other was intense. He nearly fell over on the bed when he had finally stopped thrusting, holding Beckett to him closely as she was stopped by then but trembling. "Oh god… Kate that was… incredible," he breathed out to her when he'd recovered enough to speak.

"I know," Beckett replied with a smile. She turned her head and kissed his temple before saying, "Help me lay down."

Quick to do that Castle joined her on the mattress and said, "That didn't feel like it was long enough."

"I think it was a while," Beckett said. She watched Castle look at the time; which she had checked herself already; and smiled as he looked at her in surprise. "I think our break extended it."

"Perfect," Castle said, leaning down and kissing her deeply on the lips. They became a little frantic and it took some time to stop before finally he pulled away. "Sleep?" he asked.

"We should," Beckett said with a smile at his slightly regretful tone.

"Night love," Castle murmured to her.

"Night," Beckett said. She shared a kiss with him until they parted and then settled down to sleep.

Closing his eyes Castle felt his wife fall asleep first and allowed himself to follow, hoping she'd be alright before he nodded off soon after.

* * *

Her eyes flying open Beckett sat up and breathing heavily looked around the room before she came out of the daze her dream had brought onto her and she turned her head to look at her husband. Sure that he was still fast asleep on his side she slipped out from under the bed sheet carefully and reached for his shirt that was with their other clothes. She put it on and walked over to the parlor, buttoning the shirt swiftly before she stood at the window, looking out on the city.

Her nightmare had come as no surprise to her but what it had been about and remembering it at that moment made Beckett close her eyes tightly. She covered her face with her hands and before she could stop herself a sob escaped her lips.

"It's okay love," Castle said, wrapping his arms around his wife when she nearly slumped to the floor. "It was just a nightmare," he said tenderly as she was sobbing again. As she turned and pressed against his chest he caressed her hair lovingly murmuring, "It was a dream."

Taking a moment to stop crying Beckett whispered when she finally had, "You want to know."

"I do but I don't have to," Castle said as she tilted her face up to him and he tenderly brushed away her tears. "You don't have to tell me."

Shaking her head when he was holding onto her with both hands again Beckett told him, "I dreamt I was curled up in bed and there was… pain. And I knew…" She trailed off, not sure she wanted to continue, but she finally gathered the strength and said, "I'd lost our baby."

With a heavy sigh Castle gathered his wife in his arms and murmured her name lovingly before she pulled away from him again. "You-" he started to say.

"I know it was a dream," Beckett replied slightly angrily. "I know but that pain…"

Castle didn't say anything, just took her back in his arms and held her close and kissed the side of her head before he rubbed her back and said, "I think that's the last of Mrs. Winchester."

"I thought you said you had her go back in the house," Beckett said, pulling back and looking at him.

"Yes, but she could find you now she knows you," Castle said. "Tell her to go Kate, go back to the house and that you can't help her."

Though Beckett wanted to scoff at the idea the way her husband was looking at her made her hesitate. She finally gave in and looking around the room, feeling foolish still, said "Mrs. Winchester… you need to go back to your home. I can't help you."

"That's not going to work," Castle said. "Say it again and believe what you're telling her."

Though she wanted to glare at her husband Beckett said the same thing she had before but tried her best not to sound too skeptical. Something in the room seemed to change at that point and she looked to her husband again saying, "That's it?"

"That's it," Castle replied.

"Did Skye tell you this might happen?" Beckett asked him.

Handing his wife his phone Castle watched her read the text from the investigator's wife that had only gotten to him an hour before then and he said, "I'm surprised they didn't mention it when they told us about that sailor on the Queen Mary."

"I get the feeling that was me," Beckett replied, giving him his phone. She watched him pocket it in his sweat pants he'd put on before following her and then allowed him to pick her up, carrying her in the room. "I need that to stop," she told him.

"It will," Castle said reassuringly as he climbed onto the bed with her. He watched her take off his shirt and he was quick to remove his pants before he grabbed her and lay with her. "Better?" he asked after they were quiet for a moment.

"Yeah, thank you," Beckett replied with a smile.

"You're welcome," Castle said. "Think about tomorrow," he suddenly said. "The drive is going to be amazing and Solvang will be… cute?"

Beckett laughed; feeling much better doing that; and said, "Interesting is a better word I think."

"That. And we'll be able to see Skye and Mary again," Castle replied.

"I'm looking forward to that," Beckett replied. "Though we did see them last month."

"It doesn't matter," Castle said quickly. "Hopefully we'll get to the Promenade again."

"Hopefully," Beckett said.

Hearing how tired his wife was Castle said, "I should let you sleep a little longer Kate."

"Thank you," Beckett said. She raised her head and told him seriously, "I love you Rick."

"I love you Kate," Castle replied instantly. They kissed deeply and as soon as they parted he brushed his lips gently to hers. "Sweet dreams love," he told her seriously as he embraced her and brought her closer while she cuddled against him, kissing her forehead while he waited for her to fall asleep.

Smiling a little at his tone Beckett whispered, "Sweet dreams love." She closed her eyes, held tightly in his arms and feeling very secure there. There was little surprise when she was soon nodding off but that time her dreams were clear of any horror. That time she saw only her husband and the joy they had together which allowed her to sleep much more peacefully; more so knowing Castle was still holding her; as they neared morning of the next day of their trip.


	8. Any Road Will Take You

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: Great to get the feedback I did for the last chapter so will go straight into my thank yous for them! TORONTOSUN (I was happy that you liked the tours I had in the chapter as they were fun to write since I've been there but my memory is a little dim as you can't take pictures at the Winchester Mystery House. So to know you liked that was really great! And I'm so happy you thought the love scenes were great moments for Castle and Beckett. Glad that you like the tour on the Queen Mary too!),  
MsNYC (It was interesting to see your reaction to what happened at the Winchester, though I'm not surprised you mentioned that she's still skeptical even after what she went through there. I see her doing that because of how she was on the show. But I'm glad you think it's cool that she's sort of learning how to process, as you put it, the unknown. And I got what you meant saying you don't think she'll ever accept it. I've kind of been of two minds with that, either she will if stuff like that consistently happens or else she won't… I'm not sure yet, lol, it's something I can't quite decide. But great you gave two thumbs up for Julia and Beckett sensing something was wrong with each other in the chapter, I do like writing their connection. And I was really happy to see you're so eager to get to Skye and Mary next, lol since I also like writing them. And of course, I'm very happy to see you thought it was great writing as usual!) and  
vetgirlmx (Great you thought it was a really good chapter of course. And yeah they had a lot to do today, lol. And I'm not surprised you weren't they went to a haunted house but I definitely had to include this one 'cause it's a big haunted house and I've been there and it's just… creepy the vibe you get there. But yeah, they do love doing that though they usually get into some kind of trouble with the spirits. And I figured that after so much time they'd get comfortable with the connection between Beckett and Julia as it's a normal thing as you mentioned. And glad you think it's a good thing since Julia's having nightmares. Not surprised you thought Beckett would have one too after what she went through that day. And I wasn't surprised you loved May and Luke showing up at the party, since I knew you liked them in the other chapter. That's why I had them go to the party as a surprise, the dinner wasn't enough as you'd mentioned. I was so happy to read your reaction to Paul going to the LA party since I do want readers to enjoy reading about him too. And nope, not trying to kill you, just wanting to entice you and the other readers to want to keep reading so I'm very pleased that I managed to do that with you as you said you can't wait to see that! But in the mean time I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and what I've got happening in it!).  
Thanks so much for the reviews, they were fun to read and I am grateful for the time taken to write them and send them to me!

A/N #2: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song _Any Road_ by George Harrison, from his album _Brainwashed_.

Any Road Will Take You

"That'll be breakfast," Castle commented as he heard the knock on the door to the suite. He went to open it and watched as two employees stepped inside with their food, setting it out on the table next to the window. He tipped them when they'd finished and were walking out before he locked the door behind them. "Hopefully you're hungry," he said as he went to the table to find Luke pouring out two cups of coffee.

"Thirsty at the moment," the man replied.

"We're not tired," May said as Castle sat down. "More we're thinking about having to go back to work."

"I guess you're jealous of us," Beckett said teasingly to her.

"Oh, wildly," May replied. "No, I need to get back anyways we're nearly finished with the last edits on the video."

"We're insanely eager to see it," Castle said as he cut a piece of his omelet off with his fork.

"Your daughter too I'd guess," May said. "I am too; I've only been watching clips up until now."

"Do you get to see it first?" Beckett asked.

"We have to watch it all together," May said. "To see if anything needs to be fixed. It's more for business, not so much for entertainment." She took a sip of her coffee and said, "Then we watch it a second time for entertainment."

"I would do the same," Castle said with a laugh.

"So how are you Kate?" May asked her friend. When she looked at her with slightly wide eyes she explained, "Just something in the way you were when we came in."

Beckett nodded, as she wasn't surprised she'd given that away, and she finally explained what had happened the day before at the Winchester and her nightmare that night.

"That's…" May started to say before her husband was taking her hand. "I'm fine," she told him. "I've had almost that same dream."

"That doesn't surprise me," Beckett said, looking at her husband as he looked startled to hear that. "I would imagine that a lot of women dream about that. But I'm better."

"Hopefully Mrs. Winchester stays here at the house," Luke commented.

"She will," Castle said firmly. "How's your food?"

"Very good," May said. "You do realize this is a fairly upper-class hotel, right?"

"You never know," Castle said before they laughed. "But it is good."

"Since we're apparently talking about food now," Beckett said, finishing her bite of her omelet. "What can you suggest in Solvang?"

" _Solvang Restaurant_ ," Luke and May said at the same time. They looked at each other with slightly wide eyes before they laughed and the latter spoke first.

"It's got some great Danish food that you might like," May said.

"Plus American if you're chicken," Luke added. When he saw his wife was looking at him he said, "What?"

Rolling her eyes May then said, "If you want an actual dish suggestion I had the Danish sausage croissant sandwich; sort of a mix of the two. Luke had the Danish style meatballs."

"There's more on the menu," the man said with a smile. "And in the end it's good."

"That's all we want to know," Beckett said with a smile at her friend. "We'll find everything else out ourselves."

"Except the address for the restaurant, I can give it to you," Luke said.

"You have it?" Beckett asked in surprise.

"I do," Luke said. "Stored with the other places I've searched but I remember the street name; Copenhagen."

"A lot of what you want to see is going to be on Alisal, perpendicular to Copenhagen right?" May asked her husband. When he nodded she said to Castle and Beckett, "A lot of stores there but you're going to like the architecture too."

"And yes, I did enjoy it myself," Luke said with a smile. "It works with the heritage of the town."

"But that's all you'll say?" Castle asked them.

"Are you two going anywhere special in LA?" May said in response as she smiled.

"There I figured we should just see what we felt like doing," Castle said to his wife, not surprised when she looked at him questioningly.

"Disneyland?" Luke suggested.

"You know," Castle said when his wife opened her mouth. As she looked at him in surprise he said, "Skye wanted us to go to the Queen Mary. But I'm realizing that's a risk."

"Rick-" Beckett started to say in slight annoyance.

"It is," Castle said. He expected the couple with them to look perplexed and when he saw they were he explained quickly what had happened to Skye on the ship. "If that happens to Kate…"

"You don't think she'd be able to shake it," May interrupted.

"He thinks I'm weakened by what happened with Mrs. Winchester," Beckett commented wryly.

"I wouldn't risk it," Luke said. He wasn't surprised when the others immediately looked at him and he told them, "I don't know if I believe that but you know what you experienced Kate. Think of your daughters; your husband; what would happen if it did something to you… something serious."

Sighing Beckett said, "Then what would we do? And I don't know if we should try Disneyland."

"That's true," Castle said, knowing she was thinking about the idea that if she was pregnant after their nights together since starting their trip it'd be a risk. "Then… I was going to say that other park she mentioned."

"Knott's?" May suggested. When the two nodded she smiled and said, "That would be too and I'd suggest you wait for that one."

"We'll find something else," Castle told her as he knew May was thinking about him and Beckett trying to conceive as well. "Wait until we see Skye and Mary; they'll know where we can go."

Since they'd finished their food at that point the two couples got up so they could clear the table. When everything was ready they decided to say goodbye to each other there instead of out at their cars.

"Keep in touch with me," May said as she was hugging Beckett as tightly as she could. "And text me when you get to L.A."

"We will," Beckett assured her before they parted. She smiled and said, "It was great to see you again."

"It was," May replied. "When you come out here again for that road trip stay longer though. And bring your girls I want our kids to get the chance to play together."  
"Come out to the beach house," Beckett said simply. When her friend nodded they embraced one final time before they parted and she shook Luke's hand.

"I'll take care of her," the man said before she could say anything. "Don't worry."

Smiling Beckett said, "Thank you. And it was great to see you too."

Shaking May's hand and then Luke's, Castle said, "I'll agree with what my wife said, it was great to see you again and thank you for the lunch."

"You're welcome, watch out for her," May said, nodding to Beckett with a smile.

"I will," Castle said, smiling himself at his wife.

With that the couples left and they went out to their cars, waving to each other before they drove to the freeway and separated, Castle and Beckett heading south while Luke and May made their way back north.

"So," Castle said once they'd reached the 101. "If you see any place you want to stop just tell me."

"I will," Beckett replied. She was looking out the window as she'd spoken before she felt a hand on hers and she looked at him saying, "What?"

"Maybe we could still go to the Queen Mary," Castle replied.

"Oh, now you're remembering I wanted to go," Beckett said with a smile. "And we'll see; we need to talk to Skye about that."

"And Mary," Castle replied.

"I get the feeling she'd tell us not to," Beckett said. "But I wonder if Skye would honestly listen to her."  
Castle shrugged and smiled as his wife laughed and he watched her turn on the radio before starting to play some music. He had no idea how long he was driving but he couldn't help admiring the landscape they were passing until he realized they were at a beach town. "Here?" he asked. "And how long have we been here?"

"It's been almost three and a half hours," Beckett replied, smiling at his second question. "And this is good." She watched him pull to the side of the road, past the crowded beaches they'd seen on the way, and she got out first. "I see why so many people are in the water," she said to her husband once he'd come around the car. "It's a beautiful day."

"Them too," Castle said. He wasn't surprised when his wife looked at him in confusion and he nodded over at the beach below them they could see better since they were out of the car.

Turning around to it Beckett's mouth opened slightly when she spotted the sea lions that were sunning on the sand before she stopped and smiled. "The girls are going to hate they couldn't come with us," she said to her husband softly.

"Oh, I know," Castle replied, keeping his voice low as well. "Let's go closer."

"I don't think we can go that far," Beckett said though she allowed her husband to pull her down to it. They got as close as they felt was safe; about fifty feet away from the closest animal; and she immediately started to take pictures of them until she felt her husband touching her arm. "Send that after they go home from the dance class," she told him as she turned to him.

"Why am I not surprised you guessed?" Castle said in amusement as he was holding his phone. When she just smirked at him he held the phone up and focused on them before taking the shot. As soon as he lowered his arm he bent to his wife and kissed her, doing so as hard as he could before he felt her holding onto him tightly.

"Oh god…" Beckett breathed out heavily when they'd finally parted and looked over at the sea lions.

"I don't think… they cared," Castle replied as he pressed a kiss to her temple in between his words. " _I love you_ ," he said seriously.

Smiling at his tone of voice Beckett said softly, " _I love you too_." They came together in a kiss again but as opposed to the one before it they were a lot gentler until they eventually parted. "Sit with me?" she asked him.

"Of course," Castle said before they sat right where they stood, facing the sea lions so they could watch them. He wrapped his arm around her when she leaned against him and kissed her temple again before he murmured, "This is great; I'd be able to stay here for hours."

"Me too," Beckett said with a smile. "But I think we should keep going."

"True," Castle said slowly. He smiled before saying, "If we didn't have another near three hours on the road I'd say let's stay."

"I would have too but don't forget we only have about an hour to Solvang and lunch," Beckett replied. She felt her husband starting to move and she reached out to him quickly to stop him. As he looked at her she leaned over to him and they kissed gently before she suddenly deepened it; wanting to desperately. Their tongues rolled together frantically for a while and when they parted she murmured, " _Remember I said I love you_."

" _I remember_ ," Castle assured her. He couldn't help grinning slightly before he told her, " _I remember every time since the first time you said that to me_."

Beckett kissed him again before she slowly pulled away and said, "Let's go."

Though he wanted to keep her there for a little longer Castle realized he wouldn't be able to and he stood with her. Walking over to the car he had to wait to get in and in the driver's seat he set up the GPS with the address Luke had sent to them. When it was ready he drove down the 101 again, leaving the beach behind as they made their way a little more inland and south again.

* * *

"How cute," Beckett said as they passed the windmill that was on the street. "Definitely in Solvang now."

"I know," Castle replied before he turned down the street the restaurant was on. He heard his stomach growling loudly and swore slightly before telling his wife, "Sorry."

"No, I'm the same," Beckett told him with a smile as she watched him. "There it is," she said when she saw the name of the restaurant they were near.

"Think you'll get something Danish or play it safe?" Castle asked after he'd parked.

Waiting until they were out of the car Beckett said, "Something Danish which I know you'll be doing."

Castle merely nodded before they went into the building where they were seated at a booth, sitting on the same side together. He read over the menu and said, "Not too much Danish."

"There's enough," Beckett replied. "You don't see anything?"

Reading the menu for a little longer Castle closed it and said, "I did."

Beckett shook her head, smiling, before she turned her attention to the menu and made a choice herself. After they'd ordered their drinks and food she commented, "We both got the same."

"It looked good," Castle said.

"Have you ever been to Denmark?" Beckett asked then.

"I did, once, a long time ago," Castle replied. "And Copenhagen is a beautiful city. Would you want to go?"

Smiling Beckett said, "Again with possible trips."

"I can't see how we couldn't talk about that here," Castle pointed out.

Beckett had to nod as he was right; the buildings were largely Danish in architecture so it wasn't hard to imagine themselves in the country. She then said, "Tell me what you're thinking."

"Something like the road trip we're thinking of taking here," Castle told her. "But through Europe."

"Continental Europe?" Beckett asked.

Castle was a little surprised at how quickly she had answered and without seeming to be perturbed. It took him a moment before he said, "We could go to the UK… and Ireland; by Chunnel and boat still counts."

Smiling Beckett said, "That sounds like a great idea and if you're wondering why my response was what it was it's because I've thought that myself."

"Really?" Castle asked, a wide smile on his face.

"Really," Beckett replied, smiling at him widely. She then said, "But that we should wait for."

"Our tenth?" Castle asked. He wasn't surprised at the look on his wife's face and he said, "I know, it's hard to believe that but we'll get there."

"We will," Beckett said, unable to help smile lovingly at him as they held hands tightly. They gazed at each other for a moment before she shook herself and said, "But I think that will be a good year for it."

"Leave Ireland last?" Castle asked.

"Leave it last and do you want to take a ferry?" Beckett said.

Castle couldn't answer as their food was being served and he waited until they were alone again to say, "It'd be a romantic prelude to the wedding."

Biting her lower lip as she didn't want to laugh at the sentiment that statement had Beckett said, "And then what, a train ride?" When she saw the way her husband's eyes lit up she laughed. "Keep that in mind."

"Thank you," Castle said appreciatively before they started on their creamed herring sandwiches. "Oh… you know I was a little unsure about this," he told his wife after they'd eaten their first bites. "But I change my mind, it works."

"The bread?" Beckett asked in amusement as she watched him studying the slice of pumpernickel on the top. "Eat Rick we don't have that much time."

"Right," Castle said before he turned his attention back to his food and took another bite.

The two were largely quiet as they were focusing on finishing their food and once they had they left together, walking down the street hand in hand.

"How far do you want to go? It looks like there were some places on Mission where we came in," Castle asked her.

"Not far, we should leave most of it for when we have the girls with us," Beckett replied. She stopped as they'd come to a store with various Danish items and she said, "Just a couple."

"Ice cream?" Castle asked.

Beckett laughed softly and said, "Why do you ask? You're a grown man Rick." She wasn't surprised when he lowered and raised his eyebrows at her and she said, "I'm getting some."

"Great, me too," Castle said before he followed her into the store hurriedly.

There were many knick knacks and other items that Castle and Beckett passed by before they stopped at some books.

"Cookbook or Solvang?" Beckett asked her husband in amusement as she was watching him.

"Solvang, that way they get a preview," Castle replied simply as he picked up the kid's book about the city.

Beckett smiled gently as she watched him flip through it before they went over the rest of the store until they had seen everything. They only had the book and she waited for him to pay at the door before he came back to her. "I saw a store down the street," she told him once they were outside.

"You were cheating," Castle said jokingly.

"You're right, how awful of me," Beckett said, not surprised when her husband wrapped his arm around her. She let him hold her close for a moment before they went to the store she'd spotted.

"Much the same," Castle said, glancing around. "We shouldn't get them one of these?" he asked as he pointed to some Danish girl dresses.

"I don't think they'd want it," Beckett replied.

Castle considered the dresses for a moment before he nodded and said, "Yeah, you're right. Want to go?"

"Yes, we need to get the ice cream now," Beckett said.

Looking at his wife Castle saw she was serious and he nodded before together they left the store and he quickly got the address of the nearest ice cream shop. He took her hand once they knew the number and went down to it where he led her hurriedly inside. "Interesting flavors," he commented as they were waiting in line.

"I'm getting chocolate covered strawberry," Beckett said.

"Me too," Castle replied. "It sounds great," he explained to his wife. "The Santa Barbara strawberries," he further said as she still was looking at him. "They're fresh. And that's another city we should go to."

"Okay," Beckett said laughingly before she nodded. When they ordered she watched her husband pick out a waffle cone before she got the same and when they left she said, "We're definitely swimming tonight," as the two scoops in the cone were large.

"I was planning on that even if we hadn't gotten dessert," Castle replied. "I really want to," he added before he tasted the ice cream.

"Well," Beckett began to say after she'd finished tasting hers as well. "If the strawberries are like this…" she said jokingly, smiling at him.

"That's what I was thinking," Castle said. "Walk back to the car?"

"Yes," Beckett said with a nod as she suddenly wanted to get to Santa Monica.

Walking back to where they'd parked their car the two ate their ice cream, leaning against the side of it to finish as they watched the people walking by and the buildings. Finishing the dessert, they climbed into the car and they were soon on the freeway again, heading fully into Southern California as afternoon approached.

* * *

"Hullo, hullo again," Skye said with a smile as she walked over to where Castle and Beckett were coming out of the car. "Nice drive?"

"Some traffic," Castle commented.

"We couldn't really appreciate that but it isn't your fault of course," Beckett told her quickly. She smiled and hugged her friend as tightly as she could telling her, "It's great to see you again."

"Fab to see you," Skye replied. "How're you doing?"

Remembering that the woman knew what had happened to her in San Jose, Beckett nodded after they'd let go of each other and said, "I'm fine now, she didn't follow."

"I'd hope so," Skye said with a slight nod. "Rick, how're you?"

"Good," Castle said, shaking her hand firmly. "Thanks for having us over."

"You didn't tell her, did you?" Skye asked in amusement.

"Tell me what?" Beckett said as she looked between the two.

"I… got us my suite at the hotel again," Castle said, glancing at the investigator before at his wife.

"Just for a night," Skye said. "You can bring your bags into the guest house."

Watching her go Beckett looked at her husband and said, "One night."  
"I thought you'd want to stay in a 'home' better," Castle said, putting one word into air quotes.

"You're right but thank you for the suite again," Beckett said. "Tonight?"

"Yeah," Castle replied. "I wanted to be here when the parties and signings started."

"Okay, let's get our bags and get what we need for tonight," Beckett replied.

"We need to check in now," Castle said as they were walking to the guest house where the investigator was waiting at a door. "And… take Skye with us."

"Oh?" Beckett asked, her eyebrow slightly raised.

"I'm not spending the night," Skye called as she'd heard them. "None of that. Mary and the kids are already at the Promenade; we can walk over there after."

"I had a feeling," Beckett said to her as the investigator unlocked the door and they went inside. "Thank you," she said to her husband.

"I've thanked myself," Castle replied. He smiled when his wife looked at him questioningly and said, "I always wanted to get back to that suite."

Nodding Beckett went upstairs with him and quickly grabbed what she would need before she paused with her makeup bag. "What time was the signing again?" she asked Castle.

"At one," he replied. "Check out is at twelve but we can eat lunch on the Promenade before we head to the bookstore."

"I'll be with you two," Skye said, calling up from the bottom floor. She smiled when the two soon came down the stairs with a carryon suitcase and said, "I've nothing to do until I get called in. To tell you the truth I took off the rest of your tour just in case."

"That reminds me," Castle said as they left and he locked the door with the key Skye had given him. "What about the plans to go to the Queen Mary?"

"No," the investigator said, looking at her friend. "Sorry Kate but I wouldn't be that good of a friend if you went there."

"You think something would happen to me?" Beckett asked her.

"Aye," Skye said as they got into the rental car with her driving since she knew the way already. "I suppose I could distract any spirits that might want to make a jump on you but honestly I'd be risking myself then."

"Better not to risk that," Beckett said. "So I guess my husband is looking to you to think of something else to do."

With a smile Skye nodded before she said, "There's Olvera Street."

"I've been there," Castle said quickly. "First street in LA and they have some really good Mexican food."

"They do and there's Union Station which in itself is a sight to see," Skye replied. "But there's a problem."

"Pico House?" Beckett pointed out. She wasn't surprised when her friend and husband looked at her and told them, "I remember the episode. We should try another place; not haunted preferably."

"Let me have a think on that and I'll get back to you," Skye replied as they were reaching the hotel Castle and Beckett had stayed at when they'd gone to LA together. " _This is it_?" she asked her friend in Russian as they were in the lobby waiting for Castle to check in.

" _It is, there are two bedrooms so we slept apar_ -" Beckett started to say.

" _Could take both rooms now_ ," Skye interrupted her. She laughed when her friend shoved her aside and said, " _Already going through your head wasn't it_?"

Beckett pretended to glare at her before she said, " _I did but please don't talk about it with him_."

" _Why_?" Skye asked, looking at her in confusion.

" _I want him to be the one to suggest it_ ," Beckett replied.

" _You need that_ ," Skye corrected her. She smiled when Beckett sighed and told her, " _Can be powerful in arousing you_."

" _How'd you learn that word_?" Beckett asked.

Shrugging Skye said, "Mary _wanted me to speak authentic Russian, arousal, arousing, she liked the way they sounded_."

"Okay, we're ready to go up love," Castle said as he walked up to them.

"Is that bellman you'd mentioned here?" Skye asked.

"Maurice; and he went to San Francisco," Castle said. "The Fairmont there."

"Oh, good hotel," Skye said.

"That's his protégée, Mitchum," Castle said, nodding towards the man that was waiting for them with their bag.

"This should be good," Skye said before they walked after the bellman.

Castle watched as the investigator talked to the man during their ride up, surprised that Mitchum had heard of him and Beckett; because of their previous stay and the assistance they'd provided to the LAPD. He glanced at his wife, not surprised when she smiled at him and they stepped out at their floor.

Beckett wasn't taken aback by the strong sense of déjà vu that hit her when the bellman opened the door. Though it had been eight years before she could still remember vividly when she'd walked into the suite the first time. The one difference though she immediately noticed was a vase of coral roses and she glanced at her husband who was busy tipping the bellman and thanking him for his help.

"I feel like a right third wheel," Skye said. "I'll be out in the hall."

"No," Castle said quickly, trying to stop her. But he hadn't spoken fast enough and the investigator was closing the door behind her. He sighed and said, "So."

A smile playing at the corners of her lips Beckett said, "We should go; I hate to think of her out there on her own when she's having us stay at her home the rest of our time here."

Castle nodded and he swiftly set the carryon in the bedroom where he'd stayed the time before. Going to his wife he took her hand before they left the suite and he said to Skye, "That's all the time we needed."

Smiling at them Skye said, "Let's go," before she led the way down to the lobby. They walked out of the hotel to the Promenade, texting her wife on her phone at the same time. "They're at the bookstore," she said in amusement. "I should have known. Let's meet them there."

As it was essentially the middle of the week there weren't too many people walking around and the three were able to head to the bookstore rapidly where they went inside and split up. Skye went to find her family in the kids' books while Castle and Beckett went upstairs to the fiction section. They went to the beginning of the books there and began to look together over the tomes that were available until they found something at nearly the same time and turned to show the other what they had.

"You realize we can't take back that much," Beckett said as she looked up at him once she'd read the back of the book that he'd found.

"I know," Castle replied. "Yours sounds good."

"Thank you but you can get a book," Beckett replied. "I think we should try to limit it to that though."

"So you'll just be following me?" Castle asked as he walked down the shelves.

"I should," Beckett replied with a smile as he glanced back at her. "I'm sure they'll want to go eat when we join them."

Castle looked around the fiction shelves but couldn't find anything else before he went over to the mystery books. "Did you see ours?" he asked his wife as he pointed out the tome on a stack in between two sets of bookshelves.

"I did when we came up, you walked right by it," Beckett teased him.

"I thought you were eager to look around," Castle replied.

With a smile Beckett squeezed his hand before she watched him looking around the other books with the mystery tomes. She eventually turned and walked over to where their book was, studying the cover to see how it looked from a distance. It had a set of steps on it with a mask and a dagger with blood up to the hilt on it. She wasn't sure why but when their first book's cover had been designed he'd urged their publisher to let her work with the artist who would be photographing it. She'd been a little annoyed but finally had picked out a design that the man had set up; along with a backup just in case the first was going to be turned down. She went back to Castle, recalling vividly when she'd received the first copy of the design in the mail to show him.

* * *

 _"Hey love," Castle said, looking up at his wife as she walked into their office. "Okay?" he asked._

 _"Fine, how's Eliza?" Beckett asked as he was holding their three-month-old baby on his lap._

 _"She's good, grabby, but good," Castle replied. He saw the manila envelope in her hand and asked, "Mail?"_

 _"Partially; the rest was junk," Beckett replied. She pulled out what was inside, holding it out to her husband and waiting to see what he would say._

 _Castle didn't say anything before he took the picture and studied it as he held it away from Eliza's hand that was trying to hold onto it. Finally, he looked up at his wife and said, "This is it."_

 _"You like it?" Beckett said with a smile that was partly out of relief._

 _"It goes with the story perfectly," Castle said. "I'm glad I didn't let you tell me what you were going to put on it." He held the picture of their first cover out in front of him; a line of airplanes parked at a terminal at JFK that she'd taken before they'd left on their honeymoon slightly blurred; and then said, "It goes with the title too."_

 _"I knew you'd see that," Beckett said in amusement, smiling again at him. She watched him set aside the cover and reached over to him to take their youngest saying, "That red haze isn't too on the nose?"_

 _"It's not so obvious," Castle said. "And remember I'd have colors on my covers." When she nodded he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to kiss her. He started out slowly before he deepened it and he held her securely against his chest before he felt something hitting it. "Okay," he said when they abruptly parted and looked down at their daughter. "I guess she doesn't like the lack of attention," he said as Beckett kissed the baby's temple._

 _"I don't think that's it," Beckett replied wryly. "More we were about to crush her in between us."_

 _"I wouldn't do that," Castle said, smiling. He leaned down when his wife looked up at him and he brushed his lips against hers before saying, "Should we head outside?"_

 _"I think so," Beckett replied. She was about to leave the room with him when she paused and looked at the cover on the shelf in front of the bookcase. "Let me text Jay," she told her husband who was watching her._

 _Taking Eliza back Castle asked, "He's okay with it?"_

 _"He will be," Beckett said seriously before she looked at her husband and they shared a smile. When she had managed to text the publisher, she set aside her phone not needing it as she walked with him outside to the beach._

* * *

"Hello, it's great to see you guys again," Beckett was saying to the twins as she embraced them with a smile. "Did you find any books?"

"A couple," Marie said first. "Did you?"

"A couple," Castle replied, holding up the bag that he had. "What are we doing next?"

"Mummy says we can go eat," Kathleen said excitedly as she rocked back and forth on her feet. She paused and asked, "How are Julia and Eliza?"

"They're fine, they wish they could have come but you all have school of course," Castle told them.

"We're going to talk to them tomorrow if you want to talk to them," Beckett said to the two.

"Okay," the twins said together. Their mothers came over to them and they went to take their hands before Skye was talking to the couple.

"Do you mind British for dinner?" the investigator asked them.

"No," Castle and Beckett said at the same time, making the twins laugh softly.

"Then follow us, we're a block away," Skye told them. After a while Kathleen; who was holding her hand; let go of her and walked over to where Castle was ahead of her. She glanced at Beckett as she slowed down to walk with her and she asked, "Two by two?"

"I guess so," Beckett replied. She knew her friend was looking at her so she asked, "What?"

"No just making sure you're alright," Skye said. She looked ahead of them and began to speak in Russian asking, " _Any sign_?"

" _I think that's why I connected with her_ ," Beckett said simply. She was relieved when her friend only nodded as she was a little tired of talking about herself not being pregnant yet. She felt a little awkward with the silence between them; as the others ahead of them were all talking; so she said, "What about you? Can you take a week off?"

"Oh don't worry," Skye said. "If it's big enough they'll still call me in. For now minor events will go to others at the office." She smiled and said, "Quite nice to be off."

"I remember," Beckett said. "I hope you can stay off," she told her.

"Me too," Skye said. "Not just for myself. And here we are."

Beckett looked ahead of them to a building on the corner where she saw the others were stopping to wait for them. " _Ye Olde King's Head_?" she asked.

"I told you it was British remember," Skye told her.

"It's really good," Mary said as she had heard that. "I would try their tikka masala."

"That's what she's getting," Skye said before they went inside with her leading the way.

"Hello again Skye," the woman behind the counter next to the door said with a smile.

"Hullo yourself Jessie," Skye replied, smiling back. "Got six today."

"Alright… family?" the woman asked, glancing at Beckett first.

"Friends, we decided to bring them here since they haven't been before," Skye said as they were walking over to the tables.

"I hope you'll enjoy," Jessie said as they were sitting around the large booth together.

"I think I'm taking your advice," Castle said as he glanced at the menu rapidly.

"The masala?" Mary asked. When he nodded she smiled and looked at her wife.

"Oh… the bangers and mash I think," Skye said. "You don't need to be following me in that."

"You do a really great Irish accent," Beckett said as the investigator was pointing to her playfully with her fork. She smiled when Skye groaned and said, "It does sound good."

"Mommy, Mummy?" Marie said.

"Yes girls?" the two women said together.

"Could we go to the beach?" Kathleen asked.

"We'll see; they'd like to come back with us home to swim before they go to their hotel for the night," Skye answered, nodding to Castle and Beckett.

"Maybe another night," Mary told the girls. "How's the suite?" she asked Castle and Beckett.

"The same as we remember it," Beckett said first, not surprised when her husband had a hard time speaking. They ordered so she held off on saying anything else until finally they were alone again and she asked, "Are you planning on going back to the Promenade?"

"I don't think so," Mary said first. "All they wanted to see was the bookstore. You two?"

"We're coming back tomorrow," Castle said first.

"We're going to have lunch here so we'll probably go around then," Beckett added.

"Then we can go home and swim," Marie said happily.

"That we can," Skye replied. "But your bedtime is still the same," she directed to the girls. "Not going to change that since Rick and Kate are here."

"At least we'll still be able to swim," Castle told them as the twins didn't look very happy at that news.

"He's right," Mary said as she looked at the waitress that was coming over with their food. "For now eat but slowly."

"We will," the twins said at the same time.

Laughing together the group turned their attention to the meal and started to eat before they talked again, discussing what Castle and Beckett would do around the city during their time there.

* * *

"I was going to remind you to leave your bathing suit here," Castle told his wife as they had finished changing into their swim suits in their room at the McDouglases.

"I remembered," Beckett said simply as she finished putting on her sundress over her bikini. "Ready?" she asked as he was watching her. She rolled her eyes when he just nodded and she went to him, grabbing his hand and pulling him after her.

"You're too rough love," Castle said before they went down the stairs together.

"Sometimes I need to be," Beckett said, smiling a little at him. They left the guesthouse and walked over to the pool. Seeing they were the first there she set her towel on a chair and took off her dress before she dove right into the deep end. The water was warm and when she resurfaced she wasn't surprised to find her husband had already jumped in himself.

"Wow, they're lucky," Castle said once he was above the water again.

"We can swim," Beckett pointed out.

"We've been busy," Castle replied. He couldn't help feeling a little guilty and he said, "But we'll spend more time with them."

"They know we will," Beckett said, not surprised at what he was feeling. She was going to speak again when she heard voices and looked over to see that it was the McDouglases. Swimming over to the steps she went up them until she was on the top one and she called to the family, "You're a little slow."

"Someone forgot where their trunks were," Mary replied, looking at her wife.

"How's the water?" Skye asked to deflect from that.

"Great," Castle said simply. "What're you going to do though?"

"Swim," Kathleen said in surprise.

"That's it?" Castle asked her.

"What else do you want them to do?" Skye asked.

"I think he wants to play with them," Beckett said in amusement as the two girls rushed over to the steps and went down them past her.

"He's missing the girls?" Mary asked as she and her wife stepped down into the water.

"Of course," Beckett replied. "So am I," she added as she stepped down into the water herself after them.

"You don't have that much time left," Skye told her, standing next to her.

"It's still too much," Beckett said, looking at her friend in surprise.

"Oh, who am I kidding?" Skye said. "I miss them like crazy myself, even if I'm only up the coast." She smiled and said, "I suppose that means we're quite good parents."

"It does," Castle said, walking over to them. "Believe me when I say that from experience."

"He's right," Beckett commented as Mary was swimming to them. "He did miss Alexis when she went on trips herself."

"How about when she was older?" Mary asked as Skye was swimming after their daughters.

"She went around to colleges," Castle replied, sitting on the top step next to his wife. "And of course I missed her."

"Might have been worse since you knew she'd need to go away for that," Mary suggested.

"That might be it," Castle replied. "Since I miss her a lot now."

"How's she doing? Just her and Louis watching the girls," Mary asked them.

"She's enjoying it I think," Beckett replied. "Rick," she said when her husband looked at her. "She does want to be a mother eventually."

"I know," Castle replied quickly. "I was about to agree with you; and thank you for saying eventually."

Mary laughed and said, "Alexis is a smart girl, I hope she'll enjoy her last year at Oxford."

"Things won't get too crazy there will they?" Castle asked Skye as she walked to them while the twins were splashing each other in front of them.

"Do you want them to or not?" Beckett said to him before the investigator could reply.

"I'm torn," Castle said simply.

"I'm sure she'll take it easy," Skye replied when they looked at her. "But you realize it's been quite some time since I was there before graduating; I have no idea what they might have after finals."

"Trust your daughter," Mary said.

"I do," Castle said. "I think I'm just eager for the year to be over; though she hasn't even started yet."

"A natural feeling," Mary told him reassuringly. "So I guess they just want to play with each other," she said as they looked over at the twins.

"Give them some time love," Skye said to her wife. "Come on; let's do a bit of swimming before they get bored."

"Okay?" Castle asked his wife when they were alone.

"I am, I'm watching them," Beckett said, glancing over at the twins. "I suppose in my way I'm working out missing Julia and Eliza."

Castle laughed slightly at the tone of her voice and he had to resist leaning down and kissing her before they heard the twins walking over to them through the water. "All done?" he asked them.

"Splashing," Marie said first. "Do you want to play now?"

"What've you got?" Castle asked them. He watched them get up and go over to a chest before he told his wife, "I'm guessing volleyball."

"You may be wrong," Beckett said with a smile.

Turning to look Castle got out of the pool when he saw that the two were trying to take something out that was tall for them. "What's this?" he asked them as he picked it up, feeling the weight on the bottom of it.

"You can't tell?" Marie asked with a smile up at him.

"We have to jump through the hoops?" Castle guessed. He smiled when the twins giggled at him and said, "Get the balls that go with this and we can get started."

Standing up as her husband was bringing the plastic disc toss into the pool Beckett looked over at the girls who were coming over with some discs. "I think you were wrong love," she said to her husband.

"I'll have a better chance then," Castle said as he took one of the discs from Kathleen.

"I hope you realize it's still throwing," Skye called as she and Mary were making their way over to them.

"Stop moving," Kathleen said.

"Yeah, we need the water to be flat," Marie added.

"Okay," Castle said as they were standing with the others. "Who's first?"

"Our guests," Skye said.

"No, the girls," Beckett told them firmly. "Youngest to oldest."

"Great I can take a nap," Castle said.

"Don't move," Beckett said wryly as she took his arm before he could walk away. She watched with him as twins took turns throwing the discs and she applauded their efforts before she asked, "Do you keep score?"

"Not really; aim is the thing we want to focus on," Mary said to him. "Plus it makes it for fun; not a full out competition."

"You try," Marie said, handing him a disc.

"Alright, look out because I have no idea where this is going to go," Castle told them jokingly as he prepared to throw the disc.

When Skye looked at her Beckett rolled her eyes before they watched him throw and she wasn't surprised when he managed to get it through one of the rings. "I don't think we need to be worried," she told him wryly.

"Huh, I guess not," Castle said. He threw the next two before he went under the water to grab them and handed them over to Mary who went next. Standing with Beckett he said, "Think the girls would like this?"

"I don't think so," she said slowly. "They might prefer having what we already have; they love volleyball."

"As long as it's in the water," Castle said in amusement.

Beckett nodded before she took the discs from Skye who had thrown and she took aim herself, getting the three discs into the loops. "Okay," she said with a smile as the twins clapped for her. "That's a fun game."

"We should stop," Skye said since she'd already gone. "And swim again; you two have bedtime soon."

Castle jumped ahead of himself into the water after his wife and smiled briefly when the twins groaned at their mother's words. "That sounds so familiar," he said as he and Beckett were in the deep end.

"I noticed," Beckett said, smiling at him. "How long do you want to stay?"

Shaking his head Castle said, "It's up to you."

"Not too long after their girls are in bed," Beckett said.

Nodding Castle ducked underneath the water with her before they pushed off the wall and swam back to the shallow end together, resurfacing and doing the freestyle until they had reached everyone else.


	9. Any Road Will Take You (Part 2)

"Hold your head up," Beckett said, smiling as she pushed up on Skye's chin.

"I should have thought of all the man handling you'd end up doing with this," the investigator said.

"Are you serious about taking dance classes?" Castle asked the two women who were in hold.

"Yes," Mary said simply. "Should we try the steps now?"

"Go ahead," Beckett said, stepping back. They were on the patio, after the twins were in bed, and the two women had asked them for a demonstration of what they knew of the Argentine Tango as they'd announced to her and Castle they were thinking of taking classes themselves. She watched them taking the few steps she and Castle had taught them before showing them.

"Nice," Castle asked. "Why do you usually take the masculine role?" he then said to the investigator.

"Habit," Mary said first as she knew her wife wasn't going to really be able to reply to that. "And it's where we feel more comfortable."

"Could you switch if you wanted?" Beckett then asked interestedly.

Smiling Skye said, "I suppose," looking at her wife. When she nodded she then breathed out and they began to move with her wife taking the steps that she'd just had.

"Nice," Castle said again. He smiled at the women as they looked at him and told them, "I could tell you felt awkward though."

"It's why we dance the way we do," Skye replied. "Another step?"

"Okay, one of the ones we learned our first class was kicking your leg up," Beckett directed to Mary.

Watching as she did so Skye said, "Are we taking turns?"

"You are," Castle said. "I did the same."

"Why don't you just show us?" Skye said in a mock frustration. "You've danced in front of other people before."

"After you finish," Beckett said simply as she knew her husband was looking at her.

"Then at least show us how it should look," Mary said.

With a nod Beckett kicked her right leg as she did when she and Castle were practicing before she watched the women hook their knees around each other to do the same. She nodded when they looked at her as they finished and she told them, "Great. Think you can try to put them all together?"

The two women did that before Skye said, "Alright, that's a fantastic beginning, now dance."

"Why could I see you holding a pistol and shooting at our feet with those last two words?" Castle asked as he pushed himself off one of the posts of the patio cover. "Ready?" he asked his wife.

Sighing Beckett nodded before she got into hold with her husband, soon after she was looking at Skye with slightly wide eyes as the woman had adjusted her arm.

"Kidding," the investigator replied with a smile. She watched with her wife as the two began to dance and she couldn't help being impressed. Telling them that as soon as they had stopped Skye said, "And you were able to dance without music as well."

With a laugh as she and Castle let go of each other to sit on the chairs around the patio Beckett said, "Julia made us practice that as well."

"I'll be right back," Mary said as she'd remained standing while the others were gathered around each other.

"She's a taskmaster?" Skye asked once her wife had gone into the house.

"Not so much that it's that she wants us to enjoy it like she does," Castle answered.

"As much as she does?" Skye said.

"No, just that we enjoy it too," Beckett answered.

"And you are," Skye replied quickly. She smiled when her friend gave a slight incline of her head while Castle nodded rapidly and said, "Then you're great parents for that."

"Thank you but there's one thing I need to make sure about," Beckett told her.

"Alright," Skye replied, already getting a feeling as to what she was going to say.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay going to the signing with us tomorrow?" Beckett asked her friend.

"Oh of course; didn't have a chance to look at books myself today," Skye replied. "I'm just meeting you at the bookstore though. You can have your lunch on your own."

"We wouldn't mind if you joined us," Castle said quickly.

"No, you would," Skye said quickly.

"She's right, better you two go on your own," Mary said, sitting down on one of the free chairs after coming out from the house.

"I might join you for a drink after though," Skye said. "At that Starbucks that's attached to it."

"We'll take you up on that," Castle said quickly.

"What will you do after the signing? It's only for a couple hours, isn't it?" Mary asked them.

"It is," Beckett replied. "And I'm not sure what we're going to do."

"A movie?" Castle suggested. "You can join us," he added to Skye.

"I might come home; Mary is coming back sooner tomorrow," the investigator replied with a smile.

"We'll see what we feel like tomorrow," Beckett finally said. "We might come back and swim again or go to the beach."

"Our girls will be jealous of you," Mary said in amusement.

"Ours too," Castle commented.

They were quiet for a moment before Skye said, "Did you want to stay in that hotel the last time you were here?"

"I didn't even think of it," Castle answered. "Or else I would have gotten the suite for the night."

"I didn't either," Beckett said as her husband was looking at her. "And it's alright, we're staying there tonight."

"Speaking of which," Mary said. "You should go while it's still fairly early and not waste the room."

"You're right," Beckett said, quickly putting her hand on Castle's arm before he said something. "And thank you for dinner… also the use of your pool."

"Definitely for that," Castle agreed though he was watching the two women as they stood.

"I'll be there at the bookstore…" Skye began before she trailed off.

"At a quarter till," Beckett told her before they embraced. "But you really don't need to meet us there."

"She's right; we signed your books so you can come see us whenever you want," Castle said after he'd shared a quick hug with the investigator. He waited for his wife to do the same with Mary before he did the same with her. "Goodnight and we'll see you tomorrow Mary," he said as they reached the rental car.

"Great…" Mary began to say when suddenly Beckett left them.

"I'll be back," she told the others before she hurried into the guesthouse.

"I think she's going to change," Castle commented.

"Dress or trousers?" Skye asked with a wry grin on her face.

"It could be either," Mary said with a smile. "But if I had to hazard a guess I'd say dress."

"Which explains yours love," Skye said though she was looking over at the guesthouse.

"Sorry," Beckett said, stepping out of the abode with a different sundress on. "The other dress I had on was wet."

After they'd finished saying goodbye to the two while the car was leaving their property Skye commented to Mary, "I think they guessed."

"They're thinking the same," she replied, glancing at her wife. She smiled and said, "Come on, let's go inside."

"After you _grá_ ," Skye said though her wife was already taking her hand and pulling her after her into their house, a wide smile on her face as she followed.

* * *

"Thanks so much for this Mitchum," Castle was saying to the bellman, holding a bill out to him.

"You're welcome Mr. Castle, Ms. Beckett, good evening," the man said with a nod.

Nodding himself after the man had said thank you Castle closed and locked the door and glanced back at his wife who was at the window, looking out at what she could see of the ocean. "Alright?" he asked as he walked over to her.

"I am," Beckett said with a smile as she turned back to him. She stepped around the couch and sat down with him, watching him pour out some tea. "I am sorry you can't really drink coffee now," she said. "Well you could but I think you're making sure you stop yourself."

"I am," Castle replied. He sat back against the couch once he had his cup ready and said to her, "And I don't mind." He looked around the room and said, "I feel really weird."

Beckett smiled after sipping her tea and replied, "I don't blame you; it was a long time ago. But that's not what you're thinking of."

"You can read my mind," Castle said teasingly, not surprised when she rolled her eyes at that. "Do you remember the night we went to the Waldorf?"

"Really?" Beckett asked.

"I'm not sure how I'm not supposed to remember," Castle protested.

Sighing Beckett said, "That was just a onetime thing."

"You were right," Castle replied. "I preferred staying home for… those kinds of activities."

Smiling as she brought her mug to her lips Beckett shook her head as they'd stayed at the hotel back in NYC on a whim her husband had had one night a few years before. She looked over at the other bedroom; where she had stayed the last time they'd been there; and she back to him before they suddenly spoke at the same time.

"I want to use both beds," Castle and Beckett said.

Widening his eyes Castle said, "Really?"

"You didn't think I would think that myself?" Beckett said as another smile was on her face at what appeared to be his genuine reaction.

"I was hoping but I thought that might make me just a pervert," Castle replied.

"It does but I thought the same," Beckett replied.

"Would we have done that last time? If we'd gone that far?" Castle asked though his second question was basically unnecessary.

"No," Beckett replied. "I would have likely left you to go to my room." When her husband just looked at her she sighed and said, "I was seeing someone else Rick, remember."

"And yet it wasn't that serious," Castle replied, reaching out to her hand, taking it gently.

Giving him a look; though it didn't really have much behind it; Beckett then said, "No but…"

"What?" Castle asked when she suddenly looked at him.

"You never wrote that scenario where we did make love somewhere did you?" Beckett asked.

"I couldn't," Castle replied swiftly. "Do you know how much that would have tortured me to have thought that out in my head?"

Beckett leaned over and kissed her husband gently before he made her stop, leaving her confused before he took her nearly empty mug. As soon as he was sitting back up she threw her arms around him and kissed him as deeply as she could before he was responding to her fervently. She moaned against his lips before he was suddenly laying her back and she was startled he was staring already. But she couldn't complain as she lay fully back with his help and they only parted for a moment before he was leaning over her.

Kissing his wife again Castle tried not to do anything else but that before he finally stopped after their fourth one. Looking down at her he said, "This is not comfortable."

"You look like you're about to break your back," Beckett said, sitting up. She climbed off the couch before she sat on his lap and said with a smile, "Are you taking me now?"

"Why don't we wait a little," Castle suggested. He looked at her and wasn't surprised when they said together, "Poker."

"We could play strip poker," Beckett told him before he suddenly paused.

"You're not wearing that much," Castle replied, turning back to look at her.

"I can change; hold on," Beckett said easily before she stood and walked over to the bedroom to do so.

Since she'd closed the door behind her Castle had to wait for her to appear again so he hurried to get what he could ready for her. It didn't take long as all he did was pour out fresh cups of tea on the coffee table before he sat, turned to the door. Once it had opened he shot up to his feet and couldn't deny that his heart was beating already in anticipation for her as he waited for her to step out.

"What?" Beckett asked as she walked up to her husband and saw the look on his face.

"No, I just… is that what you're wearing tomorrow?" Castle asked as she sat next to him.

"Since all I had was this; yes," Beckett replied. She glanced at him and saw he was still staring at her and she said, "And you don't approve?"

"I don't think it's if I approve," Castle said quickly. "But I do if you wanted to know," he said a little slowly without realizing it. He was letting his gaze go over her, from the white blouse to her black trousers. He was going to say something with he saw she had heels on but the realization as to why she was wearing those quickly hit him. "Yeah, I do approve," he said quickly as he looked back up at her. "But I was just surprised."

"You thought I had another dress?" Beckett asked, tossing him the deck of cards she'd gotten out of his suitcase.

"I did," Castle said, not minding the fact he had. "I forgot we didn't bring much in the way of clothes."

"I guess so," Beckett said, smiling at him. She watched him shuffle a little longer before he began to deal and she said, "Do you have a game in mind?"

"What we always play," Castle said with a shrug before he picked up his hand. He studied what he had and said, "We can delay things a little."  
"I knew we were," Beckett replied with a smile on her face. "I'm ready," she told him as she'd long since looked at what she had.

Setting down his cards Castle watched his wife's and breathed out when he saw she'd beaten his pair of kings with three fives. "Okay," he replied as they looked up at one another. "Am I undressing myself or are you helping?"

"Go ahead," Beckett said simply in reply. She watched him while he was unbuttoning his shirt after taking it out from his jeans. "I'm surprised you're not tired," she commented as he seemed to be going slowly.

"We stopped enough for me to regain my strength," Castle replied easily as he removed his open shirt.

Beckett tried to fight her smile at her husband's wording while she was beginning to shuffle the deck again. "Good point, it's why I'm not tired either," she told him.

Castle wanted to comment but decided it would be better not to and instead picked up his hand to see what he had. Glancing at the cards he threw out two before he looked at his wife. "Ready," he told her. When she nodded he then set down his cards and smiled when she put her hand on the table and he said, "Okay, come here."

Beckett wasn't surprised at her husband asking for what he wanted so quickly; she thought he might have been thinking of that while they'd begun to play their second hand; and she allowed him to pull her over onto his lap. She went willingly as she was eager for it and she wrapped her arms around his neck the second before their lips were meeting in a kiss. She let out a soft moan into his mouth as the pleasure from that action was quick to hit her and she slid her hand up over the back of his neck before she almost threw herself away from him to breathe. "You-" she began before he cut her off again with another kiss.

Not intending to kiss her Castle couldn't help it and he was doing so voraciously until they both needed to breathe. "Okay," he said slowly, looking at her.

"That was it?" Beckett asked in surprise.

"Yeah… what else did you want?" Castle asked.

Merely smiling Beckett moved away from him to sit back on the couch before she handed him the cards and she told him, "I thought you might try to push it."

"You know me too well," Castle replied easily though he was smiling as he spoke. He shuffled as quickly as he could and said, "It's a little unfair though."

"Oh?" Beckett asked as she took the cards he gave her.

"You'll take off your shoes next," Castle said.

"You didn't take off yours," Beckett said easily before she looked at what she had. She ordered her cards and discarded one before she looked at him.

"Go ahead," Castle replied. He looked at her pair of sevens before he said, "I was lucky," since he had a flush.

"Very," Beckett replied, easily toeing off her heels. She smiled at him as he was checking out her bare feet and said, "You should start thinking of what you'll do next."

"Oh, now who's being presumptuous?" Castle asked. He was surprised, as he shuffled again, when she merely smiled at him and he said, "What?"

"Just the idea that you've called me your good luck charm-" Beckett started to say.

"To be fair," Castle interrupted her. "You said that."

"And then you took it up," Beckett replied wryly. "But I think it's a little unfair because of that."

"And I'll remind you that you won the first hand; this is only the fourth," Castle replied. He dealt the cards swiftly before he picked up his hand to check what he had. He didn't take any cards from the deck and watched as Beckett took four making him say, "You're doing that on purpose."

Giving him a look Beckett put down what she had and she looked at her husband's hand. "I told you," she said as she hadn't ended up with anything while he'd gotten a pair of aces.

"I was lucky," Castle said. He studied his wife for a moment before a smile spread across his face and he stood to her surprise he could see.

"What are you-" Beckett started to say before he helped her up. She let him lead her over to the window as she was wondering what he wanted exactly. She tried to look at him when he had her look out the window and said, "Rick?"

"It's okay," Castle said quickly, not surprised she was unsure of what he wanted. He had her look ahead of them again before he said, "I just wanted to do this…"

A smile went across her lips as Beckett felt the way her husband was starting to kiss at her neck through her hair and she said, "You seem to be thinking very simply today."

"Do you want me to stop?" Castle asked her pointedly. When his wife shook her head slightly he smiled and said, "I didn't think you would." At that point, he wrapped his arms around her from behind before he said, "What would you think of if you needed to?"

"You don't think I'll have to?" Beckett asked with a smile as she glanced over her shoulder at him.

"If you do," Castle told her.

Smiling Beckett said, "I'll think of it later." Her gaze was on the ocean outside but she couldn't see it as her husband was kissing at her neck and she was distracted by the pleasure that was providing her. Finally, he stopped and she breathed out in slight relief as she could see that going too far for her. Turning when he let go of her she said, "Do you want to start?"

Looking down at his bare chest; almost forgetting that it was bare; Castle said, "No. Let's keep going." He then took her hand to lead her back to the couch and once they were sitting he started to shuffle again. He looked up at his wife when she was quiet and he said, "Anything wrong?"

"No, I'm just watching you," Beckett said simply. "And wondering how this will go now."

"We're tied on that," Castle said with a nod as he dealt between himself and his wife. "We'll see now."

Looking at her cards Beckett was quiet but glanced at her husband to see his expression as he was studying what he had. She couldn't read his face; which wasn't a surprise to her; and she finally discarded one before picking another. It didn't really help her so when her husband said they should reveal what they had she said, "You might end up being right about me."

"Does that make you want to stop?" Castle asked as he'd beaten her with another pair. He was a little startled when she didn't say anything and he looked on as she began unbuttoning her blouse. At first, he was a little surprised when she went slowly and carefully before he recalled she'd need to wear it the next day. His attention was then taken by her as her blouse came off and he saw his earlier suspicion was right, she was naked underneath it. "Love…" he breathed out.

Taking her lower lip in between her teeth Beckett murmured, "I preferred shoes."

"So do I," Castle said hoarsely as he watched her fold the blouse and set it aside. His eyes were nearly glued to her breasts as she moved until finally she was sitting back up and staring at him.

"Castle," Beckett said when he didn't move.

Jumping slightly at her use of his last name Castle shook himself and reached for the cards again to start shuffling once more. He couldn't stop himself though and he continued to peek at her until she was reaching over to him and stopping his hands. "I'm not going to apologize," he said firmly. "And you should take it as a compliment."

"Oh, trust me I am," Beckett said. "I just want you to hurry and deal so we can see what you'll want to do next."

Castle wanted to comment on how she was being presumptuous again but he couldn't make himself do that and instead he dealt the cards and looked at his hand. He gave up three cards after frowning at them and sighed saying, "Ready?"

"Yes," Beckett said simply, setting hers down. She was startled to find that neither of them had anything and she laughed saying, "I think this desire to make things last longer is going to backfire on us."

"It might not," Castle said, shuffling as fast as he could once he had them all back in his hands. His next hand he was relieved to see he nearly had a flush and he held his breath as he discarded the spade and hoped that he would see what he needed as he picked up the next one. He was relieved to see it was a club; exactly what he needed; and he looked at his wife.

"Go ahead," Beckett replied, watching him set down his hand first. She did the same after and nodded saying, "I thought I could get you with the three of a kind."

"I didn't think I'd be able to get the flush," Castle replied.

"So," Beckett began easily.

Castle studied her closely as she was staring at him and seeing nothing there in her expression he then scooted over to her, shocked when she immediately laid down at his direction.

"I knew," Beckett replied simply to his expression. She smiled when he did at what she'd said and she wrapped her arms around his neck before he lowered his head to hers. She felt a rush of joy go through her the second their lips met and she was parting them quickly to her husband's tongue that was searching before she was tangling around it with her own. She was disappointed when he eventually pulled away and she sighed saying, "Please don't tell me that was it."

"It wasn't," Castle said easily before he sat up straight. He looked down at her, letting his eyes linger on her breasts, before he reached up with both of his hands. He wasn't surprised when his wife moaned deeply at the feel of his touch and he tried not to go too fast before he began to caress the mounds at the same time in the same way. Watching her face, he kept an eye on how she was reacting to him and he breathed out heavily as her pleasure was extremely evident. It overjoyed him that he could do that to her and he had to school himself to keep going slowly for her.

When she felt her husband's fingers working around her nipples Beckett's eyes flew open and she watched him as he was doing that. "Rick," she breathed heavily. "You don't need to-"

"I'm also doing what I want," Castle replied to reassure her. "But if you don't mind…?"

"No!" Beckett gasped as she knew what he was asking her and because he had lightly pinched both of her nipples. "Please, hurry…" she told him before she drew him down to her breasts. She cried out in joy as he flicked his tongue out to the taut nub on her left mound before he lowered his mouth around it completely and her moan was heavy as he began to suckle at her. She felt a burst of pleasure in the way he was a little rough then, not going slow between them until he was wrenching himself away and going to the other end of the couch. Pushing herself up to sit again she could still feel the way his mouth had been sucking at her breasts before she picked up the cards. "Do you want to still play?" she asked him.

Breathing out a little heavily Castle reached out to her and took the cards, gently squeezing his hand around hers and said, "I do, this has been fun."

"It has," Beckett said, resisting the temptation to look at the way her breasts were reddened from his ministrations. "For you as well."

Shrugging as he knew his wife was looking at his groin Castle dealt the cards rapidly before he grabbed his own and nearly swore when he saw the poor hand he had. He tried to improve it with another card but there was no luck and he set them down, seeing his wife had a pair of twos. "Alright-" he began to say in a mock suffering sigh, standing and pretending he was about to unbutton his pants.

"Hold on," Beckett said quickly. "Your shoes." When he looked at her she said firmly, "Yes your shoes."

"I'm surprised," Castle said as he sat down and began to toe them off.

"You shouldn't be, it's more common sense," Beckett said easily as she began to shuffle once her husband had taken off his socks as well. "What if you could go back and tell yourself what we'd be doing right now?" she asked him as she was dealing their next hand.

Breathing out a little hard as he thought of that seriously Castle said, "I don't think I'd do that." When his wife looked at him he said simply, "I'll say four words; _Back to the Future_."

Beckett couldn't help laughing before she said, "You honestly think I believe that?"

"No, you're just trying to tempt me," Castle said easily. "Really I've had a lot of time to think about that and I wouldn't go back in time; too many risks."

"Like us never getting together?" Beckett asked.

"Worse, never meeting," Castle replied.

"That would be worse," Beckett said. "What if we'd met another way?"

"That would be worse too," Castle eventually said. "I was…"

"Essentially an ass," Beckett replied easily. "An attractive man, I'll admit that," she told him wryly as she took a card. "But an ass nonetheless. We should just leave our relationship as it is."

"I agree," Castle said. "Show them?"

"I already am," Beckett said rapidly before her husband could. She set down her cards as he looked at her admiringly for that before they turned their attention to their hands. "And I think we should stop."

"You could still win," Castle said quickly though his tone was heavily excited as he watched her stand up. He was disappointed when she then held her hand out to him instead of touching her trousers and he said, "Alright, I was getting tired of playing anyways."

Beckett smiled before they went together into the bedroom her husband had used their first visit there together. "Sit," she told him. When he looked at her, startled, she smiled and told him, "Really, I would like to have the chance to have something." She smiled a little wider when he immediately sat on the end of the bed and she began to divest herself of her pants. Her trousers were folded carefully and set on a dresser nearby before she allowed herself to go back to him.

Breathing heavily and very obviously Castle reached up to his wife and held onto her telling her, "You know I worship you right?"

"I know," Beckett said, her voice shaking a little as she could feel an electrical shock in how he handled her very gently. Finally, she was able to get him to stop and she had him help her take off her blue lace panties and those she allowed to remain where they were, reaching for her husband as he was standing up. They kissed deeply then and her cry was heavy as she felt the way her breasts rubbed against his chest which was quick to affect her. "We need to hurry," she said, pulling away.

"Not really," Castle said reassuringly to her as he let her undo the fly on his jeans. "Kate," he said, reaching for her hands. When she stopped and looked up at him he told her, "We don't."

Realizing he had something planned Beckett nodded rapidly and helped him in taking off his jeans before he helped her onto the bed. She sat up on the pillows he propped up behind her back and she looked on as his boxers were next discarded. "How-" she started to say when he climbed onto the mattress with her.

"I don't know; it's not exactly comfortable though," Castle replied, groaning at the end when she wrapped her right hand around his rigid erection. "Ah… _fuck_ Kate."

"They always say you learn to swear in another language," Beckett commented, trying not to let the amusement she felt at first watching him seep into her tone.

"I know," Castle said before he felt she wasn't stopping. "I'm going to-"

"I'm intending you to," Beckett told him simply. She wasn't surprised when he looked at her, startled, and said, "You have to warn me; I want you inside me."

Nodding his head a little jerkily; as he was trying to withstand what she was putting him through; Castle soon felt her left hand coming into play until he couldn't take it anymore. "Kate-" he began.

Very quickly; and glad she could do so as she would have been happy just running her hands over him; Beckett pulled him down to her until he was within her, making her cry out and climax just a second before her husband was. She thrust with him as things were a little out of control for them and she wasn't surprised to find her breath coming out in pants when they had finally stopped.

"How did you-" Castle began.

Beckett couldn't stop the smile that spread across her lips and she told him, "I wasn't unaffected with you at my breasts."

Shuddering in joy at the thought of her so aroused when he'd been working over her eagerly Castle turned his attention back to her before he said, "We have a problem."

"You know what to do," Beckett said in protest.

Castle had to admit she was right and though it had been some time since he'd last had to do it he began to move, not in a thrusting motion but instead rolling his hips. He was delighted when his wife threw back her head and almost screamed in reaction to him and he did that a few times before he reached in between their bodies. Her clit was not hard to find, heavily swollen from her previous pleasure, and he began to manipulate it as he varied between rough and gentle. He kept his eye on her as he wanted to make sure he took things long enough for them to start over and not go so far that he made her orgasm. "What do you want?" he asked when he finally knew she was ready for him and he himself was throbbing once more.

A brief smile on her face Beckett raised her left leg and sighed in disappointment when her husband pulled out of her so he could move her into position. She was pleased though when he quickly took her left leg and placed the ankle on his shoulder while she was wrapping her right around his waist. "Please… fuck me," she told him.

"I will," Castle promised. But he kissed her; keeping still except for that; and plunged his tongue into her mouth before they began to roll together repeatedly. When they had exchanged a few more kisses like that he slowly ended the kiss and told her seriously, "Try to stay up if you can."

"I will," Beckett said, matching his tone as she realized he wanted her to be close enough for them to kiss again. A second later he was sinking within her once more and as opposed to the time before he rammed inside of her and she wasn't sure if she had screamed or not in response. She might have since her ears were slightly ringing in the aftermath of it but she soon didn't care as her husband began to thrust within her roughly. She cried out and as quickly as she could she responded to him, feeling how deep he was able to get within her with their favorite position. The friction within her was rough and she was gasping and crying each time he sank into her before he leaned down to kiss her.

Castle knew exactly what his wife was going through as he could feel her extremely aroused though not much time had passed since they'd first climaxed. He looked at her intently and had to kiss her again before he moved away from her and told her, "I want to make you faint."

A heavy moan leaving her lips; as she knew what that would entail; Beckett was a little hesitant at first as she wasn't sure if she wanted her husband to do that or not. But the pull of rough ecstasy that would be quick won out and she whispered, "Then make me lover."

Hissing once through his teeth at her slightly husky tone of voice Castle carefully withdrew from her before he then made her get on her hands and knees. He placed pillows underneath her hips and with her ready, begging him to fuck her again, he entered her for a third time that night. It was rough again and they groaned together loudly before he started to thrust. At the same time, he grabbed her hips and moved her around before she suddenly fell onto her chest, her hands grasping onto the sheet as his searching was obviously affecting her he could tell. "Are you… did I find it?" he asked hopefully, keeping his eye on her though the way she was around him in that position was nearly overwhelming.

"I… there! Oh god, Rick!" Beckett nearly screamed when he hit her g-spot almost straight on. She let out short screams as he thrust against it twice more until finally she lost the last of her self-control. She chanted her husband's name against the mattress as the pleasure was as rough as he was before it all became too much and she was passing out, only aware of being able to say his name one last time before she succumbed to the ecstasy.

As he'd still been watching his wife Castle was pulling out of her the second she climaxed; knowing she wanted him to wait for her though she hadn't said. He laid her down in the middle of the bed and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as he waited for her to come to. Luckily it didn't take too much longer for her to start stirring and he was nearly breathless, the arousal in his body making him throb as her eyes opened and he knew she would want more the second he looked into her brown pools. He wanted to kiss her but waited slightly impatiently, needing her to say something or do something first to let him know what they could do next.

When she had become aware of herself again Beckett turned her head to the warmth she could feel to her right and she murmured, "Did you-"

"I couldn't," Castle said. "You don't have to ask."

Beckett wasn't surprised his tone was a little short and she smiled before saying, "You could have you know."

"Better that I didn't," Castle said, placing his hand over her mound before he could stop himself. He looked at her and said, "Do you want-"

"Yes," Beckett said, a little breathless as feeling the warmth of his touch was affecting her already. She moaned when he began to move his fingers and she whispered, "This won't take long."

"Good," Castle said, breathing heavily as he was having a hard time fighting his arousal since it seemed to be raging within him. But he focused his attention on his wife as much as he could, watching her and feeling her shifting against him. He kept doing that for as long as he could until he was sure she was ready for him. He moved to enter her again and was startled when she was quickly wrapping her arms and legs around him before they were coupled once more. Since she started kissing him the second their hips were pressed together he began to thrust and took her groan into his mouth before he was sliding his tongue around her and shuddering in pleasure at the taste of her.

When they'd parted Beckett bit her lower lip for a moment before her husband was taking her lips with his own in a brief kiss. "You…" she started to say.

"Are you close?" Castle groaned out.

"Are you?" Becket asked in reply. When he nodded she moaned softly and told him, "Come with me Rick, I'm so close. I want to feel… I want to feel you… coming… I want to feel you coming so deep inside me… please love." But she suddenly began to do that herself, throwing her head back and crying out heavily in pleasure as everything she was feeling from her husband became too much. Her husband's name was on her lips and she tried her best not to cut into her husband's back with her nails as her ecstasy was so intense. Luckily, she had a distraction when her husband's orgasm began very shortly after her own and she cried out a little harder once she started to feel his pleasure within her. "Oh…" she gasped before she just let herself be taken over by everything she was feeling.

Castle, giving her a few more thrusts, collapsed on his arms and knees before he murmured, "God I needed that."

"You're not the only one," Beckett said, feeling stronger as she'd stopped moving a bit before he had.

Kissing her deeply Castle moved his body just enough so they could feel their skin rubbing together, forgetting he was also moving within her again. Eventually he realized what he was doing and stopped saying, "Sorry."

"No, it's okay," Beckett said, breathing heavily. She hissed a little when he suddenly moved and left her, making her push herself up onto her hands as he stayed on his knees in between her legs. She reached up to him and cupped his cheek before they were kissing passionately. When they slowly parted she leaned in to kiss him again before she smiled as they looked at one another. "Do you still want to move?" she asked him finally.

Not replying Castle instead got off the bed before he reached back for her, surprised when Beckett allowed him to pick her up. He didn't want to risk her making him stop so he kept quiet until he could set her down on what had been her bed their last visit. He wasn't too far behind her and he was kissing her hard again before she wrapped her arms around him. He became so distracted with her that it was enough of a shock when she flipped him onto his back that he stopped their kiss, looking up at her with slightly wide eyes.

Smiling at his reaction Beckett said, "You didn't think I'd thought about this before?"

"So this is what you want," Castle stated as he already knew. When she smiled at him he was going to speak again when she leaned down to him and murmured into his ear. "I can do that," he said quickly.

"Good because I would have forced you if I needed to," Beckett replied easily. She was straddling him already so she only needed to wait for him to prop himself up on his elbows. That done she raised herself up and moved down to take him inside of her with his help. She breathed out a little hard once they were fully joined and she said, "Luckily we don't need to get up early tomorrow."

Groaning as he knew she was saying that because he'd regained his erection so quickly Castle finally opened his eyes and forced himself to speak saying, "Yeah… but I'm letting you say. I'm already… ugh! Fuck Kate, I'm already ready for you."

Trying her best not to smile at the way her husband reacted to her Beckett was helped by her body reacting to him. She was going as fast as she could and when she felt the friction she was moaning heavily. The sense of being continuously rubbed was nearly dizzying before she came back to herself. It took some time to do that as she had to literally swim through the electrical shock and warmth he was giving to her but finally she had managed it. She was holding onto her husband's chest; since that was all she could grab; so she took the chance she suddenly saw she had and began to run her hands around his skin. She loved the way he let his head fall back in reaction but didn't have much time to fully appreciate it as she was still being affected. She wanted to do more to him; to repay him for the two orgasms he'd given her that she'd thoroughly enjoyed; but as she watched him an idea came to her and she stopped.

His eyes flying open when his wife stopped thrusting and touching him Castle asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Beckett replied as she took the chance to lean over and kiss him. Their tongues met and rolled together a few times before they parted and sitting up she stretched her arms above her head, looking on while Castle's eyes seemed glued to her breasts. "Come here," she said with a smile as she reached down for him.

Sitting up as quickly as he could Castle wrapped his arms around his wife tightly and kissed her, letting his hands roam around her back until they were abruptly parting. "What?" he asked since she had instigated that.

Shaking her head Beckett led him down to her breasts and watched him go of his own volition the rest of the way. It was what she'd been hoping for and she gasped heavily; the sound echoing sharply through what seemed like the entire suite; as he began to suck at her left breast after clumsily fondling her. She knew he'd wanted to do that; considering how he'd gone so quickly over her with his hands; and she caressed the back of his head gently though she was having a hard time trying to handle what he was doing to her. She had no idea what made her move but she suddenly did, rolling her hips so she was moving his erection and getting his attention.

Gasping up at her Castle said, "You…" before he trailed off as they stared at one another. They suddenly moved and wrapped their arms around one another, grasping each other desperately as their mouths crushed against each other. He started to move with her and they were groaning against one another as the pleasure was swift to start again. She was incredibly aroused and he managed to move hard and fast because of that though not too well. He couldn't complain though as she was able to thrust better and took their friction together to a more intense level. He lost all sense of time before he felt her faltering some time later and he looked at her saying, "Kate I can feel you…" He cut himself off by trailing off and kissed her as they ran their hands slowly over each other. He realized why she was having a hard time keeping things steady and he pulled away from her starting again saying, "Love let me feel… let me feel you I need to feel you coming… I'll do whatever you want the rest of the night but just come with me. _Now_."

As usually was the case when her husband commanded her Beckett was unable to stop her rushing pleasure that soon overwhelmed her. She arched her back roughly while her husband held it with his hands and again began to chant his name before she heard her name being called shortly after. When she felt her husband's climax she was holding onto him as tightly as she could as things nearly felt they were too much. She wasn't sure how long they took but they slowly calmed down and she stopped first, breathing heavily while Castle kept thrusting. She could feel her body throbbing still in the aftermath of her ecstasy and when he finally stopped moving with one hard jerk against her she was kissing him, trying in a way to thank him for what he'd given her and just for the fact she'd felt an immense amount of pleasure because of him. When they parted she smiled and told him, "Sure you don't want to stop?"

Shuddering Castle said, "No," before he got them up off the bed and they walked together to the other bed. He had no idea what made them go to it but didn't question it, merely waited for her to lay down before he was entering her and soon they were making love once more as they kissed frantically and deeply.

* * *

Feeling her husband moving away from her Beckett sighed and said, "I hope you don't fall asleep today at the signing."

"You'll have to poke me with your pen," Castle said simply, waiting for her to turn to him so he could take her into his arms. "Unless I have to do the same to you," he said as his wife yawned slightly.

Giving him a look Beckett said, "I think I'll be alright."

"You wanted me on top of you most of the time," Castle replied easily. When she sighed he smiled and leaned over, kissing her fervently until finally they slowly pulled away from one another. "I love you Kate," he said seriously.

With a smile Beckett closed the gap between them and they kissed gently before she murmured against his lips, "I love you too." Pulling back to look into his eyes she said, "What time is it?"

Though he didn't really want to move Castle turned his head to see the clock on his nightstand and he sighed saying, "Four sixteen."

A smile on her face Beckett kissed him again and said, "There's a chance for one more."

"I… you want it that fast?" Castle asked, realizing what she wanted suddenly.

"Don't you? We've been fast but… I could feel your strain," Beckett teased him.

Trying not to hiss too loudly at the desire that struck him with that idea Castle said, "As long as you want-"

Covering her husband's mouth with her hand Beckett smiled at him and said, "I can assure you I do."

Shuddering in joy Castle nodded rapidly and was about to move to enter her when she suddenly grasped his erection and instead led him to her. He went willingly and sinking inside of her he groaned her name before they began to thrust together.

As Beckett had requested they were rough and fast with each other, far more than they'd been the entire night before they finally stopped. She was panting heavily in the aftermath of her ecstasy and after she'd recovered enough she said, "Now we need to sleep."

Grunting once in response Castle started to laugh when his wife pinched his side and he moved away from her saying, "Eventually."

Beckett wasn't surprised he'd said that and she said, "Just try."

"Do you really want to shop tomorrow?" Castle asked her once they were settled with the bed sheet over them.

"Why not?" Beckett replied. "We need to find some sweaters for the girls anyways."

"They're growing fast," Castle said as he realized she was right. "So that but what about you?"

With a slight sigh Beckett said, "I do need some winter things myself. Please tell me you need something too."

"I do," Castle said quickly. "So at least there's a reason for that. What about after the signing? The beach?"

"That depends on the weather," Beckett replied though she did like the idea. "We'll ask Skye if she wants to join us."

"She likely will," Castle said, looking at her. "And take her surfboard too."

Beckett smiled and said, "That depends on the waves I'm sure." She raised her head enough to kiss her husband and told him, "Thank you for today and tonight."

"You're welcome and thank you for that too," Castle said. "It wasn't one sided."

"No," Beckett said with a soft laugh. "It wasn't." She kissed him tenderly before they parted and whispered, "Good night."

"Goodnight my love," Castle replied.

Settling down Beckett closed her eyes before she soon after began to nod off as the exhaustion from keeping up with her husband took over. She could feel her husband holding her tightly and as she was beginning to dream there was no surprise she saw him there. Too much had occurred that day for it to not happen and she hoped; though she somehow knew already; that he was dreaming of her as pleasurably as she was doing of him through the early morning hours.


	10. From The Little Note

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: The lyrics in this chapter are from the songs _Behind That Locked Door_ by George Harrison, from his album _All Things Must Pass_ and _Valencia_ from the silent film of the same name, with the English translation of the lyrics I used by Lucienne Boyer, Jacques Charles and Clifford Grey.

A/N #2: I was definitely pleased to get what I did for the last chapter so will get to my thank yous for that right away! TORONTOSUN (Really nice that you think Irish pubs are awesome 'cause they are pretty fun to write, something different, lol. And I had to laugh a bit at what you said about Castle and Beckett playing cards. But you got what I was trying to do and through that it could be so much fun. And great you liked how it can be that 'cause I like writing this two, especially between the two of them 'cause that can definitely be so much fun!) and  
vetgirlmx (Pleased to read that you thought it was a very nice chapter. And glad you thought that their full day was a good type of fully day, lol. You're right, they said goodbye to two friends before they met up with another two, glad you thought it was always good when that happens though. And I thought you might like the references to the LA episode since I know you love it from having mentioned it before, and I do too. I'm not surprised at all that you were shocked at the different between that episode and then the last chapter. I felt the exact same way and was pretty surprised at how much changed between then and where I was with the story so I could definitely understand what you meant by that! And great you thought it was sweet they wanted to spend time playing with the twins since they're missing their girls and yeah, I thought with them not talking to them that day it would make it worse so you caught what I was doing, lol. I'm not surprised that you're expecting them to have a lot of things to do in Skye and Mary's hometown now. And I'm so happy you can't wait to see what that'll be and read more and now you don't need to do that anymore!).  
Thanks so much for the reviews, I enjoyed reading them as usual and am grateful for the time taken to write them out and send them to me!

A/N #3: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song _The Note You Never Wrote_ by Paul and Linda McCartney, from the Wings album _Wings at the Speed of Sound_.

From The Little Note

"Ready?" Castle asked his wife as he walked over to her where she was standing at the window.

"Yeah," Beckett said, tearing her gaze away from their view.

"I can book another night," Castle told her, watching her.

"No," Beckett said quickly before she smiled at him. "I would like to stay at the guest house. Let's go."

"Just a second," Castle told her as he went to her. He wasn't surprised when she stared at him and he wrapped his arm around her carefully. When she didn't stop him, he tried his best not to smile before he leaned down, gently kissing her.

When he'd pulled away from her Beckett said to her husband, "You couldn't resist could you?"

"Neither could you," Castle said with a smile on his face. "You could have stopped me."

Beckett just looked at him before she leaned into him and kissed him gently on the lips before they parted. "We agreed on no goals, right?" she asked him with a smile.

"We did but if we had we would have reached it last night," Castle commented. "And surpassed it too."

Beckett rolled her eyes, trying not to say anything, and she was helped in that when Castle kissed her once more. She tried not to let that go on for too long and as soon as they had stopped she said, "Let's go before Skye gets there."

"Sure," Castle replied before they left the room.

"Tell me again what we're doing with this?" Beckett asked, looking down at the suitcase.

"I'll put it in the car," Castle assured her. They were reaching the lobby so he let her take the suitcase before he went to check them out. Since he'd been there before he was able to finish his business quickly and he walked back to his wife saying, "We're set."

"I almost thought you'd try and get another night," Beckett told him quickly.

"The thought ran through my mind," Castle told her with a smile. "I'll be right back," he told her, resisting the urge to kiss her before he went to their car.

Waiting for her husband Beckett looked out at the ocean she could just see through the lobby doors. When he came back to her she asked, "You didn't want to stay?"

"It's alright," Castle said as they stepped out onto the street. "I'm with you; a home tonight would be nice after all the hotels we've been in."

Beckett shook her head; though she was smiling; and she reached over to take his hand before they headed to Third Street which wasn't too far away. She glanced at the sky; overcast from the marine layer; and said, "I wonder if Skye surfed today."

"We'll have to ask her," Castle replied to that. "Looks like a horrible day to do it though."

"You've been here before," Beckett said teasingly. "You know what it's like."

"That's true," Castle said simply as they were reaching the street. He looked at a map quickly to find where they were meeting Skye for an early lunch and set off to their right before they found it. Their friend was there and he watched her wave to them once she spotted them and he and Beckett quickened their pace to finally reach her where she was waiting.

"You haven't been here long have you?" Beckett asked the investigator as she hugged her tightly.

"Oh no, just arrived," Skye replied. "Are you ready for brunch?" she asked after they'd pulled away from their quick embrace.

"Don't you mean lunch?" Castle asked as he hugged the woman quickly.

"Or do they serve breakfast," Beckett stated.

"That, come on," Skye said with a smile as they walked up to the hostess at the front.

When they were seated at a booth outside Beckett said, "You've been here before."

"I have," Skye told them with a smile. "So if you need any suggestions I'll be glad to help."

"What're you getting?" Castle asked as he looked at his wife.

"I think breakfast," Beckett replied. "It's a little too early for lunch."

"I agree," Skye replied.

Seeing the investigator had her menu closed on the table in front of her he asked, "You have a usual?"

"Their Pilates omelet," Skye answered.

"I'm guessing you're getting that?" Castle asked his wife as he watched her read what the dish was in the menu.

"Yes," Beckett said before she closed her menu as well.

They ordered at that point as their waitress came over to them and after they were finished Skye said to Castle, "You don't necessarily need to get the California omelet since you're here."

"It sounds good," he replied simply.

Laughing as he was just looking at her Skye said, "Yes I've had it and it is." She looked over at Beckett and said, "What about after? You're still just going shopping?"

"That was the plan," Beckett replied. "What about you?"

"I'd like to tag along if you don't mind," Skye said. "For a bit; I would like a new winter coat so I'll go off to get that."

"Great, take her with you," Castle said. He wasn't surprised when his wife looked at him and he told her simply, "You mentioned shopping yourself."

"You don't need to," Skye said.

"Well," Beckett began. "You might know the better places to look for that."

"You need a coat too?" Skye asked. When her friend nodded she said, "Alright, I can look with you."

"But we need to look for our girls first," Castle pointed out.

"For what?" Skye asked.

"Some sweaters for winter," Beckett said. "I'm sure they have them, right?"

"Heavier ones?" Skye said. At the nods from them both she said, "They'll have them; you do know it can get cold here."

"We'll take your word for it," Castle said. "By the way," he said. "How is it having Christmas without snow?"

"Like having Christmas without snow," Skye replied with a smile. "We still open gifts… all of that."

Beckett smiled as her husband pretended to consider that before she watched their waitress coming back with their food. She looked at their omelets and said, "Interesting."

"Try it," Skye urged them both. She watched them and said, "Well?"

"You made a good choice," Castle replied.

With a nod Skye began to eat her omelet and they were quiet for a while as they focused on their food. Finally, she spoke to them asking, "So your plans for after the signing? You two were all over the board yesterday."

"We don't know really," Castle said with a laugh. "It could go either way," he said before he looked at his wife.

"We'll wait to decide," Beckett said simply.

"Have you swimsuits for the beach if you want to go there?" Skye asked.

"We do," Castle said. "I'm guessing from your question you do."

"And my board too but that doesn't mean we need to go," Skye said, finishing that quickly. "I'd be fine going to a movie."

"It might be the beach," Beckett said before she asked her friend which stores would have the best clothes for kids.

When they had finished the meal, Castle stopped Skye and paid for it before he said, "You treated us yesterday."

"We're going to cook if you'd like to have dinner at our home," Skye said after thanking them.

"That sounds great; it's been a while since we had a home cooked meal," Beckett said as they stood up together to go.

"Alright we're not too far from the first shop for the kids," Skye said. "I almost forgot Marie needs a new jacket so I'll be looking for that too."

"Don't worry," Castle told her as they went into the store. "We have plenty of time."

At that point the three separated, Skye going to where her daughters' sizes were and Castle and Beckett made their way over to Eliza's size first. They looked over what there was for sale apart until Castle found something first and went back to his wife to show her.

"Nice," Beckett said as she took the cream-colored sweater that had three leaves in red, yellow and orange on the side of the chest.

"Not her type though?" Castle asked as he watched her studying it.

"Oh no, it is," Beckett said, smiling slightly. When her husband asked her what was wrong she then told him, "I'm just thinking this time next year she'll have to wear the school uniform."

"That's true," Castle said. "I almost forgot about that but for now…"

"Yes, hold onto this for me," Beckett said in amusement as she handed him back the sweater. She took him over to where Skye was and told the investigator who looked at them, "You mentioned that one store for Julia's age."

"Oh, that's right," Skye said, folding the jacket she had. "Okay, I'm ready." They went to pay and after they had gotten to the door to go back out to the Promenade she asked, "What did you find?"

Letting Castle show the sweater Beckett asked, "Your daughters won't mind you shopping for their clothes without them?"

"Yours won't mind either?" Skye asked immediately before she smiled at Beckett's laugh. "No they won't mind," she finally answered. "They know I'm aware of what they like. I'm assuming it's the same for your girls."

"It is," Castle said. "What was the store you said was good for Julia's age."

"This way," Skye replied before she led them down the street to the store. When they went inside she stayed with Castle and Beckett that time, watching with him as the latter was looking around. "And for Julia?" she asked him quietly.

"She's known her longer," Castle replied. He smiled and said, "I have gotten things for her before but this I'll let her take care of."

"She'll ask your opinion," Skye commented.

"Yeah," Castle said as he turned to watch his wife taking out a blouse before she put it away.

"She says she's usually alright at these signings," Skye said as they stayed where they were.

"She is," Castle replied. "Did she tell you about the game we have going with them?"

"She did, I thought that was quite brilliant as I assume it's tedious towards the end?" Skye said, her eyebrow slightly raised at him.

"It does get that way," Castle said. "Especially if you're on your own."

"She told me about that one when she went to see you," Skye said with a nod. She smiled when Castle looked at her questioningly and she said, "We do write regularly you know."

"No, I just didn't know how much she's told you," Castle replied. "But yeah, they've gotten better with her there."

" _I would imagine_ ," Skye said, going to Irish as there were a few shoppers near them. " _You miss the signing women's chests though_."

" _The women's_?" Castle asked as he turned to look at her.

" _You know what I mean_ ," Skye said in mock annoyance.

" _I know and I don't_ ," Castle replied. When he saw the investigator was looking at him he told her, " _After so many years I find I can't miss it_." He paused when he realized what he said and the fact that he was thinking about his wife's breasts as he'd spoken, hoping the investigator didn't realize that as well.

"Good to hear," Skye commented quickly as Beckett was coming back to them.

"Okay?" she asked her husband as she looked at him.

"Yeah, what did you find?" Castle asked her.

Though she wanted to comment on the look on his face but Beckett didn't say anything to that and instead said, "This sweater and skirt."

"Oh, she'll like that one," Castle said, seeing the plaid blue, green and red skirt she held up.

"She doesn't mind wearing plaid even though it's part of her school uniform?" Skye asked.

"No, she likes it," Castle answered. "I'll be back," he said as he took the clothing from Beckett.

"Is that all you needed for your girls?" she asked Skye.

Smiling the investigator said, "That was, you?"

"The same," Beckett replied with a nod. "I guess we're going shopping now."

"I think so," Skye said. "Do you really want to? I just want to be absolutely sure."

"Well…" Beckett began.

"We don't need-" Skye said.

"No, no, I do need to Rick wasn't kidding," Beckett interrupted. "But I feel bad deserting him right now."

Skye didn't say anything at first and instead just studied her friend before she smiled and said, " _Long night_?" in Russian.

" _The same for you_ ," Beckett replied easily in the same language. She smiled as the investigator flushed a little before she said, "It was so you'll understand why I don't want to leave him… which sounds weird now I'm hearing myself saying that."

"I don't think so," Skye told her simply. "I'd feel the same with Mary. Well the first store is at that mall across the street from the end so I say we walk down with him and divide there."

"Divide?" Beckett asked in amusement.

"You know what I mean," Skye said, smiling at her. "We're set?" she asked as Castle had come over to them.

"We are," he replied. "What's next?"

"We're going to walk to the end of the Promenade and split up there," Beckett answered.

"Great," Castle said. As they walked out to the street he asked Skye, "Are there any stores for me?"

"There are," the investigator replied with a nod. "We'll stop at the directory there."

"After that I'm just going to walk north," Castle replied.  
"Back to the bookstore?" Beckett asked him.

"I may," Castle said as he looked at the stores they were passing. He didn't see any he wanted to go to and he glanced at his wife to see if she did. But they reached the end of the street and he said, "I thought you'd want to look at that candy store."

"On the way back up," Skye said before they crossed the street to the mall. "Now there are several stores here so we don't need to limit our visit to the clothing ones," she told the two when they had reached the directory and had begun looking over what there was.

"Have fun at the comic book store," Beckett said when she spotted the name.

"I will," Castle said a little absently as he was looking at the rest of the list of stores. He then realized what his wife had said and asked her, "You're not going to go?"

"I'll see," Beckett said simply with a smile. "If we don't see you we'll meet you at the candy store."

"At what time?" Castle asked.

"Around twelve thirty," Beckett replied easily. With that she and Skye went over to the store the investigator had told her about, going straight to the selection of coats.

"Think I can ask you something?" Skye said her after they'd been looking for a while.

"Okay," Beckett said, looking across the display at her.

"Did you ever take the girls to your signings?" Skye inquired.

"Oh sure," Beckett said. "Both but we haven't taken them with us every single time."

"What about when you just had Julia?" Skye said, not surprised at the answer.

With a nod Beckett said, "About four months after I adopted her I decided to surprise him." When Skye glanced at her questioningly she explained, "It was at the end of September, the month after we'd gone to the beach house where they luckily started to bond."

"I recall you telling me that," Skye replied. "Keep going I'd like to hear more about that one."

"Alright," Beckett said with a slight laugh as she took a coat off the rack. "I surprised her with it as I didn't want him to know either."  
"So you surprised them both," Skye said easily.

"That was the plan though after I let Rick think I'd done it just for her," Beckett said. She smiled when Skye looked at her in confusion and explained, "He hated when I would pull back with my emotions since I did that with him from the start…"

"And?" Skye asked when she didn't continue.

"No, it's just around that time I would tease him with that," Beckett answered, shaking herself as she set the coat back. "I didn't do it often but once since it infuriated him he couldn't tell I was joking. Anyways," she said as they moved down a little more to continue looking. "We went down to the bookstore and it was only when we got close did I tell her; vaguely; what we were there for."

* * *

 _"Are we gonna get books?" Julia asked as she and her mother waited to cross the street and she recognized the bookstore._

 _"Maybe," Beckett replied as she gently squeezed her daughter's hand. "It depends on if you find them."_

 _"They're there Mommy," Julia said, pointing to the building as they were about to cross. When her mother picked her up and set her on her hip she wrapped her arms around her neck and said, "We get to look?"_

 _"Of course," Beckett told her with a smile, kissing her temple gently. She walked inside and headed upstairs where she soon saw her boyfriend behind a long line of people holding copies of his latest Nikki Heat book._

 _"It's Castle!" Julia exclaimed eagerly as she followed her mother's gaze. She looked at her mother and asked, "That's why we came?"_

 _"It is, let's get in line," Beckett told her, walking over to the end of it._

 _"Why do we have to Mommy?" Julia asked._

 _"To be polite," Beckett said, looking ahead at the women in front of them. "We'll see him after okay?" she whispered into her daughter's ear._

 _"Kay," Julia said, nodding her head as she looked at the people head of them._

 _"What is it sweetie?" Beckett asked as she watched her with a smile._

 _"They all came to see him?" Julia asked her._

 _"They are," Beckett relied. "He's signing their books."_

 _Leaning over to look around some people Julia could see that Castle was signing a book rapidly before he smiled and nodded at the woman in front of him before she walked away. "Does he do that all day?" she asked her mother._

 _"No, just for a little longer," Beckett replied._

 _"Can we stay with him?" Julia asked softly._

 _Unable to help kissing her at her daughter's tone of voice Beckett said, "We're going to wait after we see him for him to finish and then we'll have dinner." She smiled widely when the little girl squealed in joy and told her, "And then he'll come home with us," keeping her voice quiet as she related all of that._

 _"Good," Julia said. She was a little impatient to get to Castle but the line moved too slowly for her and she wanted to ask her mother if they could hurry. But as she watched Beckett she saw she seemed to be patient so she sighed a little and leaned against her._

 _"Walk with me sweetie," Beckett said as she set the little girl down when they were closer to the front. Taking her hand again she reached into her bag with the other and pulled out her boyfriend's book. As soon as the women ahead of them had stopped speaking to him she walked ahead before he was looking up._

 _"Hi!" Julia said, hurrying around the table to Castle. She wanted to hug him but paused before waving shyly._

 _"Come here," Castle said with a reassuring smile at her. "You can give your uncle a hug."_

 _Feeling a pang; though she knew her boyfriend had said that for the people still in line; Beckett said, "I thought she should see what her uncle does… part of it."_

 _"A smaller part of it," Castle said as he was hugging Julia tightly. When they parted he then said, "Want to see what I do?" He wasn't surprised when she only nodded and he took the book Beckett was holding out to him asking, "To you or both?"_

 _"Just to me," she answered. She watched him writing and was startled as it turned into a short note before he signed as rapidly as possible. Taking the book back she held off on reading what he'd put before she then said, "Ready to go sweetie?" to her daughter._

 _"C-can I stay?" Julia asked softly._

 _"Oh sure," Castle said before Beckett could say anything. "Just for a little so you can see what I do."_

 _"I'll come back to pick her up," Beckett replied. She turned her attention to her daughter and said, "Behave and when I come back you need to come with me."_

 _"I will," Julia said, nodding her head firmly._

 _Walking away then so the woman behind her could approach the table Beckett went to the third floor where the fiction books were. She went towards the back of the aisle and once there opened her copy of Castle's book to his note which she quickly read._

Kate, you've made this time much better bringing Julia and I hope this sets a precedent for the future. I love seeing you two and this time was no different. Thank you,

 _Smiling at the quick note Beckett could almost feel how her boyfriend had been holding himself back with those simple words and she breathed out a little hard before putting the book in her bag. She tried to look at the books in front of her for a while; to give Julia some time with Castle; but couldn't help letting her thoughts go back to him as she randomly pulled a book on the shelf to try and read the summary though she didn't have much luck taking in the words._

 _"Thank you for coming out," Castle told the woman whose book he'd just signed. He watched her walk away before the next was coming up to him and he turned his attention to them._

 _"Is this your daughter?" the woman asked interestedly._

 _"My niece, what's your name?" Castle said quickly._

 _"Sandy," the woman replied with a smile at Julia as she was leaning against him. "You're watching her for her mother?"_

 _"She's looking around at some books," Castle said. "Thank you for coming out today," he said, handing the tome back to her._

 _"Do you say the same thing?" Julia asked him in a rush._

 _"It's a lot easier to do," Castle replied. "Did you think of where to have dinner?"_

 _Shaking her head Julia watched him sign the next book and talk to the man who had brought it before she watched him leave them. "He was nice," she said._

 _"He was," Castle responded in amusement, wondering if she thought that since it hadn't been a woman that time. He felt a brief sense of joy at that idea; since it meant she wanted him with her mother; before he needed to turn his attention to the next fan who'd come up to them. He signed a few more books before he looked to his right, seeing his girlfriend walk over to them. "I think it's time Julia," he told the little girl._

 _"We'll see you later Castle," Beckett said, taking her daughter's hand. She was surprised when Julia waved at him and took her down to the first floor where they could look at the kids' books. "Sweetie did you remember we're going to see him after?" she asked her when she saw they were alone._

 _"Yeah, Castle said we were gonna go have dinner… oh he said did I think of a place," Julia replied._

 _"I haven't done that yet myself," Beckett said. "I guess we should start."_

 _"I know where I wanna go Mommy," Julia said quickly. When her mother looked at her she told her, "Where the games were!"_

 _"Dave and Busters?" Beckett asked her._

* * *

"I forget you have that over in the city," Skye said as she and Beckett were taking turns trying on the coats they'd found. "And you took her there?"

"Yes, why is it that hard to believe? They do have a bar," Beckett said. She wasn't surprised when the investigator turned to her and she quickly said, "I never went with an ex, Lanie and I would go since we wanted something different from our usual bars."

"Good idea," Skye commented. "Since you'll mostly see families there… unless it's later of course."

"Then it's more couples but there are some men on their own," Beckett said. "And yes, we got hit on but we'd head off to the games or just leave."

"Good idea, keep going with the story though," Skye said as they hung their coats. "I'd love to hear how this goes now."

Beckett smiled and said, "I'd taken so long to take Julia from Rick that we didn't spend all that much time looking at her books before he was coming over to us."

* * *

 _"Hey," Castle said, slightly startled at Julia throwing herself at him when he had reached her and Beckett. "So I guess she missed me," he said to his girlfriend._

 _"I think so," Beckett replied. "And she told me she wants to go to Dave and Busters."_

 _"Really?" Castle asked. When she nodded he said, "Okay, let's go."_

 _Beckett followed him out to the street after he'd picked Julia up and they took a cab over to Times Square, listening to the little girl on the way pointing to the interesting buildings she saw on the way. When they were inside the restaurant she wasn't surprised to find Julia eager for the games but was when she kept calm._

 _"She must be sick," Castle told Beckett with a smile. "If it was me I'd be running to the nearest game."_

 _"Then you must be sick too," she told him teasingly._

 _"Fair enough," Castle replied, nodding his head. He looked at Julia who was sitting in between them on a booster seat with her head bent down to her activity book she'd been given and said, "How was your Saturday with your mom?"_

 _Looking up at him Julia smiled and said, "We had pancakes for breakfast; Mommy let me help; and then we played before we went to see you."_

 _"Sounds like a great day," Castle said, smiling at her. "And now you get to play games."_

 _"Castle," Beckett said._

 _"What?" Castle asked in surprise at her tone._

 _"Don't remind her," Beckett said, shaking her head._

 _"It's not much longer until we can go," Castle said to Julia who had been listening to them talk. "Here's our food right now."_

 _Julia was glad to see that he was right as she was hungry and she ate her macaroni and cheese while she listened to her mother and Castle still talking on either side of her through the meal._

 _"So," Castle said once they had all finished. "Are we getting dessert?"_

 _"I think we can but after," Beckett replied. She wasn't surprised when Julia's eyes went wide and she said, "Yes we're going to go play soon."_

 _After paying for the meal Castle took Julia while Beckett slid out of the booth on the other side and he walked with them over to the games. She wasn't surprised when the little girl took him straight to the coin sliding game once they had a card to play with and she let her daughter explain how to play as she watched, a smile on her face._

* * *

"And that was all they played?" Skye asked as they left the store with their coats.

"We, eventually Julia got me to play too," Beckett replied. She was smiling at the memory before she said, "And after that we stopped for ice cream."

"Then that was a great day for her," Skye commented.

"It was for us too," Beckett replied with a smile.

"What about once you had Eliza?" Skye asked as they walked to the upper floor of the mall.

"Since I went too we would usually have one of our parents watch them," Beckett said. "But when Eliza was about… eighteen months old we had to take them with us as my dad was out of town, his mother was in Atlantic City with friends and Alexis had to work with her debate team at Columbia before she could come to the bookstore."

"So after that she watched them," Skye said.

"She took them around the bookstore," Beckett said with a nod. "But until then they were with us."

"I take it from the smile on your face it wasn't that bad," Skye told her as they were walking into the store and began to look around at the clothes there.

"No," Beckett said with a soft laugh. As she was going through some blouses she began saying, "They knew they needed to behave but they were a little shy when the first people came up to us."

* * *

 _"You remember we did this before Julia," Castle said quickly to the little girl who had wrapped her arms around his._

 _"Are these your daughters?" the woman asked with a smile._

 _"They are," Beckett said, not surprised to feel Eliza cuddling close to her._

 _"What's your name?" Castle asked the woman._

 _"Marsha," she answered, smiling at the girls. "Too bad she didn't get your eyes," she said to Castle as he was signing her copy of_ End of the Line _._

 _"I'm actually glad she didn't," he couldn't help saying shortly as he pushed the book over to his wife. "She's our daughter."_

 _Not surprised when the woman looked startled at how vehement her husband's tone of voice was Beckett said to her husband in Irish, "_ That was a little harsh _."_

 _"_ No, necessary _," Castle said in a rush as the next person was coming up to them with another book. That woman he wasn't surprised slipped him her number but was when she boldly winked at him before walking away with her book._

 _"Interesting," Beckett said as she turned back to her husband after watching the woman walk away._

 _"I know,_ a little sad _," Castle replied, ending in Irish before he turned his attention back to the people that were in line and coming up to them. He was surprised when the girls were very calm through the next forty minutes, Eliza even falling asleep against her mother, and Julia leaning against him after sitting on his lap. But he was grateful as well as the fans coming up to them were a little less flirty with him or their mother since they were there. But eventually he spotted his daughter in the distance and waved to her before she reached them._

 _Smiling at her little sisters Alexis kissed her father's cheek and hugged Beckett quickly with one arm before she reached over for Eliza. "How've they been?" she asked as she took Julia's hand when she came to her._

 _"Really good but I think they need to move around," Beckett said, squeezing Eliza's leg gently._

 _"We'll come back as soon as you finish," Alexis told them, smiling as she had to let go of Julia to pull the baby's thumb from her mouth. "Just text-"_

 _"We'll meet you at the kid's books," Castle told her. "Are you ready to head home after this?"_

 _"Yeah, I told you everything I need is at the beach house," Alexis assured them. "We'll see you."_

 _"Bye," Julia said, waving to her parents._

 _Watching them go Castle and Beckett were a little disappointed to have to turn their attention back to the fans in line to meet them but did so. They would then check the time through the rest of what was allotted for the signing until finally they could go._

 _"We could have stayed at the table to count those out Rick," Beckett said as she watched her husband counting off the slips with phone numbers in his hand._

 _"Sixteen this time… why so many?" Castle said with a frown._

 _"Seventeen," Beckett said._

 _Sighing; as his wife had had more than him their first book signing together; Castle said, "There were a lot of men there… though that's a good thing of course."_

 _Beckett smiled and said, "Of course, we'll stop before we go?"_

 _"Yes," Castle said in mock exasperation. "After we get them of course."_

* * *

"Has he ever beaten you at that game?" Skye asked, watching Beckett step out from the dressing room where she'd gone.

"Once, the year after that," Beckett replied. "I'm not sure if it's a good thing though, since it means people are attracted to us."

"That'll happen," Skye said simply. "And that looks good."

"Thank you," Beckett said as she'd found a sweater for winter and spring in a lighter blue hue she liked. She nodded to the suit the investigator was wearing and asked, "Do you ever wear a tie?"

"Outside of my pilot uniforms I've worn?" Skye asked. "My civilian clothes you mean?" When Beckett urged she then said, "Never had the urge to," as she turned to her reflection. "Don't want to feel as if I'm strangling myself. You?"

"I did but when I showed Lily a picture of that outfit she said I looked like Josie Lawrence meaning I looked like I was from the eighties," Beckett answered.

"You know who she is?" Skye asked eagerly.

"You didn't hear," Beckett said in remembrance. She smiled at the investigator and told her, "I used to watch _Whose Line?_ with Patrick so I know her, Tony Slattery, John Sessions-"

"Oh, he's one of my favorites," Skye interrupted.

"I know all of them," Beckett said. "So I haven't worn a tie for some time."

"Are you getting the sweater?" Skye asked her.

"Yes, and this is enough," Beckett replied.

"Then we should head back to the Promenade to meet your husband," Skye said. They went into their adjoining dressing rooms before she said, "Finish the story."

"We went back to the beach house," Becket said simply.

"Still, I'd like to hear," Skye said. "I only heard a few things about this time from you during our e-mails."  
"Okay," Beckett said with a slight laugh. "We drove back with Alexis, a quiet trip since Eliza was napping and we were quiet for them."

* * *

 _"Hey Lizzy," Alexis said with a smile as the baby blinked her eyes rapidly as she looked at her. "We're home."_

 _"'exis!" Eliza tried to cry out but yawning before she could do so._

 _"Come on, everyone's going into the house," Alexis said before she took her little sister out of her car seat._

 _"We have time to play," Castle was saying in the kitchen after he'd looked through the fridge. "Do you guys want to?"_

 _"Yeah," Julia said firmly. "But can I go play with Mari?"_

 _"Why don't you stay with us sweetie?" Beckett asked her in response._

 _Julia frowned but seeing the look on her mother's face she sighed and said, "What're we gonna play?"_

 _"Go with your sister; we'll get something to drink right now," Castle told them. He looked at his wife and said, "If you're okay with that."_

 _"I am," Beckett said with a smile. She watched him going to get some glasses before she went to the fridge to get the apple juice for their oldest and milk for their youngest. "What will Alexis want?"_

 _"The same as you," the young woman said, getting the pair's attention in the kitchen. She smiled at their startled looks and told them, "They want me to get Lizzy's foam blocks so Jules is watching her."_

 _"That's fine," Beckett said. "We're having iced tea," she called as her stepdaughter was going up the stairs._

 _"Okay," Alexis called back._

 _Castle poured out a third glass of the drink then picked up the tray to follow his wife over to the family room. He was startled when she stopped him and said, "What?"_

 _"I wonder if you miss the flirting," Beckett replied with a smile. "Since you mentioned it."_

 _"I don't," Castle said, knowing why she was asking that. "They would flirt but it'd be really forced, I would feel a little sorry for them to be honest." He took her hand and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her before he pulled her close for a kiss._

 _Beckett responded to that the best she could before they were slowly parting and she finally said, "I think we should go."_

 _"I heard her come down," Castle said as he'd noticed Alexis running across the hall to the family room. He reluctantly let his wife go but then said in Irish, "_ Promise me something _."_

 _"_ Tonight _Rick," Beckett said, leaning into him and brushing her lips against his before she walked ahead of him to the living room leaving him behind to watch her as he gripped the tray tightly._

* * *

"Interesting," Skye said, slightly laughing as her friend had covered her face with her hand at that last bit of her story. "Don't worry; husbands and wives will do that you know."

" _And wives_ ," Beckett told her teasingly in Russian.

" _Us too_ ," Skye said with a nod. They made their way up to the candy store where she soon saw Castle and she told her friend, "I'm going to see about some dessert for tonight; maybe; I'll see you around… literally since this place is small."

Laughing Beckett waved her away and said, "Go we'll meet you when we're ready." When Skye had walked away she then went over to her husband, touching his arm to let him know she was there.

"Oh hey," Castle said, looking down at the bags she held. "Looks like you were successful."

"We both were," Beckett replied with a smile. She couldn't help it and she brushed her lips to her husband's before saying, "You did too."

"Just a new shirt," Castle said simply. "I got a text from Alexis and she mentioned ordering in tonight."

"That's fine," Beckett said. "But I know you told her that already."

"I know you very well," Castle said simply.

Beckett rolled her eyes though she was smiling before she turned her attention to the candy in front of them. "Are you going to get anything?" she asked.

"Look with me that way we can share," Castle replied.

With another smile as he took her hand Beckett went with him without a word and they looked over everything together until he went to pay for what she'd chosen and she waited for him near the entrance. When he and Skye both finished paying she smiled as she watched them showing each other what they'd gotten before they put it away in the bags and made their way over to the entrance and to her.

"So we have dessert tonight," Skye said. "I'm kidding," she then added as Castle was about to speak. "Actually, I need to grab it."

"That cupcake place at the beginning of the Promenade?" Beckett asked her.

"Mary told me to go," Skye replied with a nod. "So before I head home I'll stop there; come with me so you can pick out your own."

"We'll trust you to make the choice," Castle replied.

"No, I think you need to come up with me," Skye said. "Since no one will be able to let you in, Mary's going to be picking up the girls from school after their baseball practice."

"They're playing baseball?" Castle asked.

"It's an informal class," Skye said. "Their school started to offer different sports after school they could learn; they decided on playing baseball first."

"They didn't have cricket?" Beckett asked her friend with a smile.

"No but I might petition them to next semester," Skye said. They were passing a music store and she pointed it out to the two saying, "Let's stop; I forgot they just opened last week and I want to see if they have records."

"Is that all they have?" Castle asked.

"They do but you know these days artists are releasing in vinyl too," Skye told them. She nodded then to the advertisement for Paul McCartney's next album and said, "I've already reserved his in vinyl."

"So you use that to listen more than a player or something?" Beckett asked interestedly as her husband had immediately left her for the collection of Queen records she'd seen he had spotted.

"Oh sure, it harkens back to a time you and I weren't really alive during," Skye said laughing as she was looking through their collection of George Harrison records. "Though my dad did have a record player."

"My parents did too," Beckett said with a smile. She watched the woman looking through the albums before she finally asked, "Something I'm wondering; what would you do if you ever met Paul?"

"Oh man," Skye said, smiling at her. "I think I'd pass out." She laughed with Beckett before she said, "No I'd be a little tongue-tied meeting him… hopefully not bawling."

"Bawling?" Beckett asked her.

Turning to her Skye said, "The first time I saw Paul in concert back in '93 I burst into tears… only twelve years old but I'd listened to him for so long I was a serious fan then."

"Too bad you couldn't meet him," Castle said, walking up to them.

"I know," Skye said, turning to look down at the albums again and missing the look that the couple shared on either side of her.

"What would you do if you performed in front of him?' Castle asked after a moment.

"If that would ever happen?" Skye asked him, looking up. When he nodded she smiled and said, "I'd hope I didn't know he was there, I'd be too nervous to continue."

"Even singing one of his songs?" Castle asked.

"Even then," Skye said. She was about to go over to the records they had for Paul before she stopped and said to the two, "If ever I got the chance to record with him; which wouldn't happen of course; I'd likely be okay. But that's just conjecture since I don't know of course."

Beckett placed her hand on Castle's arm before she said, "That would be interesting."

"Interesting?" Skye said with a smile at her. "More like amazing I should think." She smiled and said, "Well it's fun to dream," before she went back to the records.

"What'd you find?" Castle asked. When he and Beckett heard her sound of excitement that she'd suddenly made, pulling an album out from them.

"A copy of _Flaming Pie_ ; I've been looking for this one," Skye said. "I'm off to pay."

"What was the George album she found?" Castle asked his wife since he hadn't found anything himself.

" _Gone Troppo_ ," Beckett replied. She smiled when her husband looked interested and she said, "There's a part of me that would hope Paul could hear her sing," whispering since she didn't want the investigator to hear.

"Maybe," Castle said simply as he didn't know how that would work exactly.

"Alright," Skye said, walking back to them. "I assume now it's time for you to make an appearance?"

"More they need us there before it starts," Castle replied easily as they left the store. He saw his wife was looking at her watch and he asked, "Dance class?"

"It's almost starting," Beckett replied with a smile.

"How's she doing with that?" Skye asked her as they walked up the street.

"Good, why?" Castle asked, wondering about that question.

"Nothing," Skye replied. "I was really just wondering. No competitions?"

"Not at the moment," Castle replied. "But she should have something coming up soon."

"More than likely," Beckett said quickly as her husband looked to her. "Like we said before we left we're hoping that it'll be after we get back."

"It would be, wouldn't it?" Skye asked as they were nearing the beginning of the Promenade. "They need time to practice I believe."

"Right," Beckett said slightly laughingly. "Especially if they throw any new dances at them."

"Good, well next time she has one tell her if she needs advice on songs that would work for her dances just call me," Skye told them.

"We will," Castle said. "Next time she has one of course," he added with a smile as they'd reached the bookstore and were heading inside to a woman who looked to be waiting for them.


	11. From The Little Note (Part 2)

"Alright class," Ms. Grey was saying with a smile to her students that were standing in front of her. "I have an announcement to make; there's a competition that's going to take place before Thanksgiving again."

"Where is it?" a girl said after the teacher had called on her as she'd raised her hand.

"Here," Grey replied. "Now this time I can only choose two of you to dance but they're asking for two things different this time." She paused and smiled when the students started to murmur in response before she said, "First they want you to perform trio dances with just one other person from your studio."

"I thought they'd done that before," Louis murmured to his girlfriend.

"It never came through, they switched to a regular dance," Alexis whispered quickly.

"Alright, alright we'll talk about that more soon," Grey said quickly. "Now the second thing is that the Argentine Tango is in this competition and we need to have at least three lifts."

"Lifts, lifts?" Peter asked, looking at his partner.

"As much as is safely possible for you all," Grey said. "Now I've decided on the first pairing-"

Eliza covered her mouth with both her hands when the other students stepped away from Julia and Peter before they laughed. She smiled and said to Alexis, "They know already."

"I know," the young woman replied, watching as Ms. Grey said her students were right and told them the other couple.

"Who will dance with us?" Julia asked, smiling at Norah and Irwin who had been picked along with her and Peter.

"I've decided," Grey replied. "And Mari you'll be dancing with Julia and Peter as you were supposed to before. And Oliver? You'll be with Norah and Irwin."

"What dances?" Irwin asked after raising his hand.

"You'll have the same dance, the Paso Doble which will be your trio dances," Grey said. "And I'm assuming you all want to know what other dances they'll have?" she asked the rest of the students. When they chorused a yes, she smiled and said, "There will be eight this time." At the uneasy looks from the four competitors she said, "I know it's a lot but they're dances that you know. First you'll have the trio Paso Doble, the Charleston, the Waltz, the Jive, Foxtrot, Banghara, Quickstep and Viennese Waltz."

"Two waltzes?" the four dancers said at almost the same time.

"Yes," Grey said. "They're both different so you'll be conveying your talent with them both. Now we'll tackle these dances one at a time and we'll start with what will be your first dance; the trio Paso Doble."

Watching as Grey had the other pairing joining her in the middle of the dance floor Alexis turned her attention to her sister who was standing with Peter off to the side as they waited with Mari. She could tell from there that the girl was thinking as she watched the other trio and had to wonder if something was wrong.

"What is it?" Mari whispered to Julia since she'd noticed the same as Alexis.

"No, I'm going to ask something," the girl replied quickly with a smile. "See if we can do something when we dance," she said before their teacher was finishing with the other group and the three of them walked out to the dance floor in front of her.

"Alright," Ms. Grey said, looking at the three. "What do you think Julia?"

Smiling Julia said, "I dunno, maybe we should just get some music from Spain."

"Good I had something in mind for you," Grey said, going over to her phone. "I want you three to listen to this and let me know what you think." She played it and watched the three soon glance at one another before it finished. "So," she began with a smile.

"How would we dance? The three of us," Mari asked first.

"Taking turns, there's no time limit to how long you dance," Grey said, looking at Julia and Peter. "So we can do that and I'll lean more towards the fifties for your costumes and hair," she continued.

"What's the song called?" a girl asked against the mirror.

" _Valencia_ ," Grey said, smiling. She noticed Julia was raising her hand reluctantly before she said, "You have an idea?"

"I…" Julia said slowly, glancing at Mari who was watching her with slightly wide eyes. "I think maybe Mari and me should dance together for a little bit."

"There's nothing against the rules with that is there?" Alexis asked, not surprised her sister had thought of that.

"No," Grey said as she smiled again at the two girls who both staring at her, obviously breathless waiting for her to answer. "And it's been done before of course. Come here."

The two girls hurried to their teacher before they waited for her to tell them what to do and at first they thought she was thinking that it wouldn't work as she didn't say anything.

"Okay, at the very beginning we'll have Peter walk up to you two dancing together," Grey said after she'd snapped her fingers together. "And then he'll follow you two around before you walk around him, like this," she said as she moved around the boy to explain the move. "And from there you'll dance with him together."

As the teacher showed her and Mari how to dance what would be the opening steps she'd just made up Julia paid close attention, waiting for when they'd try out the moves themselves. When they were standing in front of each other she couldn't help saying to her friend, "Now we can really practice at home."

"I know," Mari replied, smiling widely at her.

"Okay, start when I say go," Grey said to bring them back to the class though she was smiling at their talk. She counted down and watched as the two girls began to move as she'd showed them, pleased to see that Mari nearly got the steps right the first time. "Good but you're supposed to mirror Julia remember," she told her.

"I started on the wrong foot?" Mari asked.

"You saw you did though," Julia said quickly in defensive of her friend.

"And that brings me to the other problem, you can't spend the dance watching her," Grey said quietly to the girl.

"Okay," Julia said, flushed slightly. "I just want to make sure."

"I realized but that's my job," Grey told her, squeezing her shoulder. "One more time and then we'll include Peter." She watched the two girls dance together up until the point where the boy would join them and she nodded. "Better, we'll keep practicing of course but for now Peter when they make that last chasse you'll go in between them."

"And does it matter how I walk around them until then?" the boy asked.

"Let's see what looks best," Grey said, looking at the other students. "I want us to vote and see what looks better okay?" When her students all nodded she turned to Peter saying, "Try circling around them at first very slowly."

"What if he turns around like they do when they go around?" a boy asked.

"Good idea Brett," Grey said. "Peter watch me and then we'll do it together," she said before she began to go around the two girls who were still standing in place, moving her arms every so often. "Got it?" she asked when she'd made her way back to the boy.

"Yeah, I'm ready to try," Peter said with a nod. At that moment he moved with her, a little slower with a few of the arm movements before they made their way back to where they'd started.

"So that's our first option," Grey said. "This next one is going to take a little longer to convey because you two need to dance during it."

"You want me to go around them both?" Peter asked.

"One at a time," Grey said, nodding her head.

When they'd watched the teacher dance first; around both girls while they were dancing; and then with the boy Louis murmured to Alexis, "Second one looks better."

"I know," the young woman replied. "I think they agree," Alexis said with laughter in her voice as the entire class; including Eliza next to them; were raising their hands to the second option during the vote.

"Alright I'm glad we could all agree on that," Grey said with a smile at her students. "Why don't we all come forward and we'll learn the opening steps to the music after Peter is dancing with Julia together."

Alexis was surprised when the teacher then spent the rest of the class on that one dance; going between the two different Paso Dobles; but didn't say anything as she was filming the class since Eliza could join the students. "Dad and Kate are going to love that," she said to her boyfriend when she stopped filming at the end.

"Think you'll be able to come back in time for that competition?" Louis asked her as they waited for Julia and Mari to change; Eliza with them.

"I don't know, since this is our last year I get the feeling the professors are going to be a lot stricter," Alexis replied with a sigh. "Which means I wouldn't be able to make it for Thanksgiving."

"Got to try," Louis told her reassuring, wrapping his arm around her and squeezing her gently. "Should we go?"

Looking over at the dressing rooms Alexis smiled when she saw the three girls were coming out and she stood with him saying, "I wonder if she has much homework."

"You can ask her right now," Louis said.

"What?" Julia asked as the two were looking at her.

"How much homework do you have?" Alexis asked.

"Oh, nothing," Julia said. She wasn't surprised when her sister didn't look like she believed it and she said with a shrug, "Really, ask Peter."

"We didn't have anything," the boy said. "Bye Julia, Mari see you later," he called to them before going out the door.

"Okay then I guess you can do what you'd like," Alexis replied. "Come on, let's go home."

Reaching out to her sister Eliza took her hand before she looked back at Julia and said, "What are we gonna do?"

"Why don't we just do some art?" the girl asked with a smile.

"You can," Alexis said in amusement as Eliza looked at her. "Just wait until we get home to see what we do."

Eliza nodded before she looked ahead of them and watched as they neared home before they were waiting for Alexis to unlock the door next to the gate. She squealed when; inside the house; the dogs ran straight to her and knocked her down before she started to laugh. She hurriedly stood up and hugged them both saying, "Now we are home and we're gonna stay here."

Smiling at her tone Alexis said, "We should go further into the house you know."

"Can we change?" Julia asked, sharing a look with Mari.

"Go ahead," Alexis replied. "But what kind of art do you want to do?"

"I wanna paint," Eliza said before her sister or Mari could reply.

"We'll get the snack started," Louis said, taking the little girl's hand.

"I guess… we'll glue some stuff," Julia said slowly.

"Yeah, we should try out the beads," Mari replied quickly.

"We have more stuff now with that," Julia said. "But come on, let's change first." After Mari had agreed she took her friend's hand and they walked together up the stairs and to their rooms.

"Are you worried about them?" Louis asked, watching his girlfriend watching the two though they'd disappeared by then.

"No, just wondering if they really want to work on art," Alexis said, turning to the kitchen where her boyfriend was standing behind Eliza at the fridge. "What do we have for today?"

Inside Julia's room the girl was sitting on her bed, waiting for Mari to finish changing since she had done so as quickly as she could. "What do you think about practicing instead?" she asked her.

"Well," Mari said slowly, looking at the door.

Smiling Julia got off the bed and rushed over to it, closing it before she said, "They saw us before at the class."

"Yeah but still," Mari said in embarrassment as Julia walked back to her.

"Do you not want to dance with me?" the girl asked, terrified that was the case.

"Oh, I do but… I hope other people don't think it's wrong," Mari whispered as her friend took her hand.

Frowning Julia said, "Who cares? We're having fun and we finally get to dance together."

Mari smiled and said, "Let's start."

With a nod Julia let go of her friend and they stood in front of each other before she counted off. They started to dance together as they'd done earlier in the class until they had reached as far as they could go without Peter. She smiled and said, "That was great."

"Yeah," Mari said. She went to the bed and climbed up on it before she watched as Julia was practicing her steps alone. "I'm still surprised," she commented.

Smiling Julia went to lean against her bed and said, "You're good, you learned fast."

"No, it's like I got extra practices," Mari said, pretending to be stern. She smiled and said, "Thanks."

"I had to," Julia said. "That way you could catch up with most of us."

"Are you sure Eliza's going to be able to dance?" Mari asked her.

"Oh she will, remember Norah? She didn't join the class until we were in the third grade. She was behind most of us but she caught up really quick," Julia told her. "Ms. Grey worked with her on her own while the rest of us practiced; like you."

"You're so good Julia," Mari said in wonder.

Feeling her cheeks grow red the girl said, "Thanks, I just dance 'cause I love the music." She was startled when her friend pulled her up onto the bed and she hurried to climb with a smile. Sitting on the mattress she said to her friend, "Think Clive minds you're dancing with us?"

"He's like me, not really sure if he's good yet," Mari replied. She then seemed to think of something and said, "What if one day we are and Ms. Grey picks us to compete against you and Peter?"

"We dance against each other," Julia said firmly. "But we're still friends, right?"

Nodding her head rapidly Mari said, "Even if you win."

Julia looked at her friend and was startled when she gave a whoop of laughter before helplessly giggling. "What is it?" she asked, unable to help smiling as her friend's laughter was infectious.

"You looked a lot like your mom does when she looks at your dad," Mari explained when she'd managed to calm down.

Smiling Julia said, "Good. But I wasn't really mad at you."

"Is your mom mad at him when she looks at him like that now?" Mari asked.

"No," Julia said with a slight laugh. "She's giving him a warning."

"Do you think," Mari said slowly then after they were quiet for a moment. "That if we were dancing the Waltz together they would let me and you dance?"

"I wish," Julia said firmly. She sighed and said, "But there are people who won't like it so I bet they would play it really safe and say no."

"Too bad," Mari replied. Looking at her friend she saw a look of realization pass across her face before she turned her head. "What's wrong?" she asked, touching her arm.

"I…" Julia said slowly, carefully. "If I ever get my own studio… would you be my assistant?"

"Me?" Mari asked in surprise.

"Yeah, you know how to dance now and I wouldn't try to get one until I'm older," Julia said in a rush. "But just if you want to," she said after slowing down, remembering her friend was hoping to do something concerning clothes when they grew up.

"That would be fun, maybe I could be your sometimes assistant," Mari said. She laughed when Julia hugged her tightly and she said, "But I would have to know how to dance."

"I can teach you too," Julia assured her. She looked at the rug next to her bed and said, "Want to try the Waltz?"

"I… are you sure?" Mari asked, feeling her cheeks flush a little.

"Why not? We did it before so it's the same as if we're just having fun," Julia said as she climbed off the bed to get her phone. She gave a little gasp and said, "I have the perfect song."

"You do?" Mari asked interestedly as she got off the bed herself.

"Yep but we should listen to it a little bit first before we start," Julia said before she played it.

Listening to the opening Mari giggled as she almost instantly recognized it and she watched Julia; who was smiling widely at her; and nodded before they listened to the first verse.

 _Why are you still crying?  
Your pain is now through  
Please forgot those teardrops  
Let me take them from you_

 _The love you are blessed with  
This world's waiting for  
So let out your heart please, please  
From behind that locked door_

At that moment Julia held her arms out to Mari and the little girl nodded before they got into hold for the Viennese Waltz and they began their steps together.

 _It's time we start smiling  
What else should we do?  
With only this short time  
I'm gonna be here with you_

 _And the tales you have taught me  
From the things that you saw  
Makes me want out your heart please, please  
From behind that locked door_

 _And if ever my love goes  
If I'm rich or I'm poor  
Come and let you my heart please, please  
From behind that locked door_

"See?" Julia asked after she had spun Mari out and they stopped since the song had. "That wasn't too bad, was it?"

"I didn't say it was bad," Mari replied. "I just didn't want there to be a big audience."

"I know," Julia said as she stopped the next song that had started to play. "But at least we can do that and not worry if our parents catch us. But maybe they won't care 'cause we did it for fun before."

"Maybe," Mari said as they climbed onto the bed together. She then asked, "How come you picked that song?"

"'Cause George wrote it for his friend who was going to start singing again," Julia said. She smiled and told her, "So he would be okay singing again."

"I was going to dance with you," Mari said in mock annoyance. They laughed together and leaned against one another before she said, "But that is a really good song."

"I know, even if the song is different than I like to listen to," Julia said. "It's the perfect waltz song."

"You should use that for yours and Peter's," Mari told her.

Thinking about that for a moment Julia smiled and said, "That'll be nice; I'll have to tell Ms. Grey."

"What are your parents doing right now?" Mari asked after they'd been quiet for a while.

"It's… I think they're at the bookstore now," Julia said, figuring out the time. "Or just relaxing 'cause it's not time yet for the signing."

"Did you ever ask to go again?" Mari asked.

Smiling widely Julia said, "I asked my mom if I could go to one of their parties instead."

"Did she say you could?" Mari asked in surprise as she knew her friend usually didn't want to be involved with the things that her parents needed to do in public.

"When I was older," Julia replied. "Will you come with me?"

"I… don't think I should," Mari said shyly.

"You could, we just have to ask your parents," Julia said. "But that's not going to be for a long time so we don't have to worry yet."

Mari smiled before she said, "Have you ever heard the song we're gonna dance to before?"

"No but I did go there when we went to Spain," Julia replied before she got off her bed. She glanced down at her phone and looked for it before she found it and said, "We should listen to it."

"Yeah," Mari said, nodding her head rapidly. "That way we know it really good."

"Yeah," Julia echoed before she started the song.

A little bit later Alexis was going up the stairs when she heard some muffled sound coming from the top. When she reached the door to Julia's room she tried to listen to what they were doing inside but couldn't really hear. She then knocked but wasn't surprised when there was no response or Julia opening the door. So she went inside and smiled as they were on their knees on the bed, listening to the song they'd practiced to. Before they noticed her and before she could say anything they suddenly began to sing along with the singer.

 _Valencia!  
In my dreams it always seems I hear you softly call to me  
Valencia!  
Where the orange trees forever scent the breeze  
Beside the sea_

 _Valencia!  
In my arms I held your charms  
Beneath the blossoms high above  
You loved me  
In Valencia long ago we found our  
Paradise of love!_

 _In a magic dream of mem'ry  
I see you again  
In that old town far away  
Beneath skies of Spain_

 _That city of tender romances  
So shy were your glances  
And swift as the sunshine that dances  
Through the orange grove  
Valencia!_

Hearing applause Julia gasped with Mari and they looked together over to the door before she breathed out. "How come you didn't knock?" she asked.

"Because you two were singing too loud to hear me," Alexis replied simply, smiling at them. "I'm checking to see if you're alright. Also if you're going to come down with us."

"Sure," Julia said with a smile. "Did Eliza and Louis eat all the snacks?"

"We just had one snack and it's slices of apples with peanut butter," Alexis replied, letting them lead the way over to the stairs. They made their way down and she said, "I'm surprised you're not dancing to the song in Spanish."

"Oh… they have it in Spanish?" Julia asked in surprise.

"I think you have a shorter version of the song," Alexis said. "But since your dance needs to be short it makes sense. Do you two still want to work on some art?"

Glancing at Mari, Julia said, "What about if we go outside and play?"

"Me too!" Eliza said immediately before she was fed an apple slice by Louis. "Thank you," she said after she had finished.

"You're welcome. You're done with your picture, aren't you?" the young man asked with a smile.

"Yeah," Eliza said with a hurried nod.

"Alright what did you want to do there?" Alexis asked.

"Wait, dinner?" Louis asked.

"We'll order in something," Alexis replied. "Probably Italian."

"Good," Julia said when her big sister looked at her. "We want to play with our bows and arrows."

"Then let's go before it gets too late," Louis said, having cleaned up Eliza's hands by then. He walked with the little girl outside and helped his girlfriend get the kids' target set up before they watched them begin to shoot at it with the sets, taking turns with Mari since there were only two.

"I wonder if-" Alexis started to say. She was cut off with the brief line from one of her favorite songs and said, "A text."

Looking at the two as her sister was taking her phone out of her pocket Julia burst out saying, "Mommy and Daddy have a case," making the others look at her in shock before Alexis looked at her phone to see what the message was.

* * *

"You know something I'd love to see while Rick and I are here in the city?" Beckett asked her friend as they were alone in the room they'd been led to in the bookstore.

"What's that?" Skye asked her.

"You and your band," Beckett replied.

"Are you sure?" Skye said, looking slightly startled.

"Why not? You've told us about it so many times before," Beckett said.

"Mostly you," Skye said as she'd related the 'band' she'd formed with her wife and some of their friends. She looked over at the door as Castle walked in and said, "Oh alright, we're having a rehearsal at home tonight after dinner."

"Are we invited? And we're talking about your band, right?" Castle asked them once he'd reached them.

"We are," Skye said to his second question. "And of course you're invited; you'll be able to see us perform."

"Can't wait," Castle replied. "People are starting to come in."

"I'm a bit surprised," Skye said. "Usually they have the signings up on the second floor."

"There's a room?" Beckett asked her. When her friend nodded she smiled and said, "I guess it's easier to have it towards the front."

"Maybe they're expecting a line," Castle commented.

"That's his hope," Beckett said wryly to her friend. "Will you be first in line?"

"I could," Skye said. "But no, I'll listen to the reading."

"I read, she sits with me," Castle answered.

"It's better; he's used to reading with emotion," Beckett said simply. "Though I get a lot of people telling me I should really just read with him."

"It'd be disjointed," Skye said. "So better you stick with what you've got."

Before the two could say anything, someone was knocking at the door and an employee stepped in, letting them know they were ready to have them come out to the table that was set up for them. They looked at Skye who walked out first and Castle and Beckett were soon walking after the employee, seeing there were many people already there in the seats set up in front of the table and standing around them as well. They saw Skye was sitting at the front and they were soon doing so themselves behind the table, waiting to be introduced by the employee who'd walked them out into the store.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the employee said into a microphone. "It is our pleasure to introduce the authors of the newest Detectives Paul Moor and Georgiana Green book _Everybody's Wearing a Disguise_ ; Richard Castle and Kate Beckett."

Nodding and smiling slightly to the people in front of them who were applauding Beckett waited for her husband to speak first as he usually did.

"Thank you," Castle told the employee. "We're happy to be here and I'll be reading an excerpt from the book before we take some questions and start signing your copies."

Beckett watched him open the book that had been at his place and she looked on as he read, wondering which part of it he was choosing. When he said where the excerpt was to introduce it she did her best not to smile before she turned her attention to what he was reading.

"This is from chapter thirty-six," Castle said at first. " _The door opened and Moor walked into his girlfriend's apartment before he said, 'Captain is happy.' 'I can't see why she wouldn't be,' Green replied. 'The killer was found and the high society people are glad,' she added_."

Looking over at Skye Beckett remembered she had told the woman about the hint to a possible proposal there. She wasn't surprised when the investigator looked at her and gave her a brief smile before they looked at Castle as he'd finished and the people in the seats were applauding, doing the same as well. She turned her attention to the employee who was talking and asking people to raise their hands for the man to call on them.

"Alright, you," the employee said, pointing to a woman who had a blue jacket on.

"Yes, I'm wondering how difficult it is for you to write together. You don't have different styles?" the woman said.

"Not enough that it makes it difficult," Beckett said, not surprised when her husband looked at her to answer. "What helps is we're used to dealing with what we write about."

"She's right," Castle said quickly once he realized she wasn't going to continue from there. "Investigating crimes together helps greatly."

"Alright, you sir," the employee asked a man more towards the front.

"Do you ever come to a disagreement? And if you do what does that involve?" the man asked.

Skye watched in amusement as the two exchanged a look before they answered the question and she listened to the rest of the queries asked them. They were all about their writing and she could tell that Beckett was relieved every time the question was about that. She applauded after the last question with the others and then stood up to go over to them. "Nice," she said simply.

"It's not that bad," Beckett replied with a smile. "What're you going to do now?"

"I might look around down here," Skye said. "See what I can see."

"Have you read the book yet?" Castle asked.

"I did; I thought I told you both I enjoyed it," Skye said simply.

Before Castle or Beckett could say anything, the employee was speaking into the microphone that was still on, telling them about a problem they were having with the books that were going to be for sale.

After they'd been told they could go back to the room Castle turned to Skye and said, "This never happened before but I guess there's a first time for everything."

"It'll give them time to take everything out," Beckett said, looking over to where some men and women were removing the chairs.

"And you two a break," Skye said. "I'll look upstairs at the books; text me when they call you out."

"You know you can stay upstairs or go anywhere else you want to," Castle pointed out.

"He's right, you don't have to stay here," Beckett said.

"I'm fine here," Skye said simply. "Mary's not home so…"

"There's nothing else to do," Beckett said with a smile. She laughed slightly as Skye tapped her nose playfully before she left and went over to the escalator behind them. "Should we sit?" she asked him.

"I'll follow you," Castle said. They walked together over to the room where they'd been before and sitting with her at the table there he said, "I'm wondering something."

"Okay," Beckett said as she watched him get up to go to the fridge that was there, pulling out a bottle of water. "Are you sure this isn't the break room for the employees?"

"It might be the old one," Castle replied, sitting with her. "What I was wondering what did you two talk about while you were shopping?" When his wife gave him a look he wasn't startled and told her, "I'm just wondering what you two would discuss. If you talked about anything at all of course, I don't know."

Beckett was going to comment on that but hesitated before she smiled and said, "She asked about our past book signings." When her husband looked like he was about to ask her something she said, "I told her about the one we took the girls too-"

"Which was nice," Castle said quickly.

"It was," Beckett said with a smile. "And then the one when I took Julia to see yours."

"Oh yeah, we talked about that while you were paying earlier," Castle said. "Did you tell her about taking Julia to _Dave and Busters_ after?"

"I did," Beckett said. When her husband was looking at her expectantly she asked, "What?"

Smiling Castle said, "How far after _Dave and Busters_ did you talk to her about?"

"Just that we got ice cream before we headed back to our apartment… my apartment," Beckett corrected herself.

"Good," Castle said to that. " _Since after_ Julia _was in bed that's a little more private_."

Rolling her eyes, though she was smiling at his use of Irish, Beckett took a drink of her water before she said, " _And nice_." She smiled again as her husband glanced at her and as they waited for the book signing she recalled when they had tucked Julia into bed.

* * *

 _"Think she'll stay asleep?" Beckett asked her boyfriend as they walked out to the living room from her daughter's._

 _"It's unlikely," Castle replied._

 _"We had that ice cream too-" Beckett started to say before she heard small feet running down the hall. "Julia," she said with a sigh as she turned to the doorway to the bedrooms._

 _"I can't sleep Mommy," the little girl said quickly, holding onto her Stitch doll tightly._

 _"You need to," Beckett said simply as she walked over to her. She picked her daughter up and carried her to the bed, looking back to find that her boyfriend was sitting on the couch. She was startled to see him remaining there but kept her attention focused on getting Julia back to bed._

 _"Mommy, I-" the little girl began._

 _"Go to bed sweetie," Beckett told her firmly after she had tucked her in. She sat on the edge of the bed next to her, gently stroking the top of her daughter's head before she saw her closing her eyes. "The enjoyment of helping me is lost?" she asked her boyfriend when she walked out to the living room, stopping in the doorway._

 _"No, I just knew you'd be able to handle it yourself," Castle said with a smile as he stood up and walked over to her. He reached her and had just wrapped his arm around her waist when he heard a somewhat plaintive, "Mommy?" and tried not to laugh as his girlfriend groaned slightly under her breath. "Welcome to the joys of being a parent."_

 _Beckett shook her head and was about to go over to the room when Castle stopped her._

 _"I'll be in your room," he told her quickly as she looked at him questioningly._

 _Nodding Beckett watched him go before she went to see her daughter sitting up in bed. "Julia-" she started to say._

 _"I can't-" the little girl began._

 _"I know but you need to try," Beckett told her firmly. She had her lay down again and stayed with her, waiting for her to fall asleep. Even when Julia had done so she remained for a little longer before she was sure. Standing she leaned over and pressed her lips to her daughter's forehead carefully to not wake her up. She paused in the doorway to look back at Julia before she finally let herself go out and down the hall to her own room._

 _"You took a while," Castle told her._

 _Closing and locking the door behind her Beckett went into the room a little more before she said, "I did, all on my own."_

 _Not surprised that she'd discerned he had been joking Castle watched her walk up to where he was standing and he wrapped his arm around her again. "You're very good at that," he told her seriously, staring into her eyes._

 _With a smile Beckett placed her hand on the back of his neck and brought him down to her so they could kiss deeply. She moaned softly at the feel of that before they carefully parted and she said, "You are too."_

 _"I do my best," Castle said seriously as he'd had to help her avert Julia's tantrum when they'd started to leave the arcade. "But… I do love seeing you with her."_

 _Beckett was going to respond when he suddenly kissed her and she closed her eyes tightly while she was responding. She cupped his cheek while they were busy doing that but soon after had to let go of him as she needed a better hold on him since they were beginning to become a little frantic together. When they finally stopped she could feel her lips were throbbing and sensing her body wasn't too far behind she nuzzled her boyfriend's lips with her own and told him, "Come here."_

 _Castle watched her as she pulled away but took him by the hand and he was nearly breathless as he couldn't stay away from her. He followed and when they'd reached the end of her bed he was reaching for her once more. He undressed her as they were kissing one another and once she was down to her bra and panties he had to help her with his own clothes as she wouldn't let him do anything else._

 _Allowing him to lay her on the bed Beckett reached for Castle; still clothed while he was naked; and drew him to her before they began to kiss. She wasn't surprised when he began to reach for her breasts in between them and allowed him to do so, not caring when he gently gripped her right through her bra. When he moved away from her she told him, "Help me finish."_

 _Though he wanted to speak Castle found he couldn't say a word and instead helped her take off the last of her clothes. She was sitting up at that point as he took in her naked body and shuddered in pleasure at the sight of her before they were kissing again._

 _The two were soon moving around and lying down together on the bed, kissing as they began to make love in sync slowly at first before they sped up. They were grasping onto one another tightly as they neared the end of their pleasure. When they broke they were very close together in it and they were thrusting harder until they stopped, Beckett first._

 _"Do you think," she said, holding onto him when he was still against her. "You can stay tomorrow night?"_

 _Castle smiled; as he took it as a kind of message to him that she wanted more of what they'd just done; and moved to carefully lay down next to her saying, "I can but what about Monday?"_

 _"I need to go in a little early," Beckett replied. "Paperwork."_

 _Sighing; though he wasn't serious about it; Castle said, "I guess I should write a little bit."_

 _"You don't know if we'll get a case," Beckett said. "And you need to get more done on it."_

 _"I know," Castle replied, rubbing his forehead as he held her closer to his side. When she asked him what was wrong she told him, "I miss being at the beach house."_

 _Smiling Beckett said, "I agree but we'll go back, don't worry."_

 _Thinking about that for a moment Castle remembered and said, "Not much longer until Christmas. Until then there's Halloween." He turned his head to look at her and said, "Sure you don't want to dress up?"_

 _"No," Beckett said simply. She smiled when he grumbled under his breath; knowing he was feigning annoyance; and she said, "I'm content to let Julia be the only one to."_

 _"Have you seen her costume yet?" Castle asked her._

 _"No, your mother is being insanely secretive," Beckett said before he was suddenly getting up._

 _"I feel like a bath," Castle told her seriously. He was slightly surprised when she didn't protest at all and followed him into the bathroom where he drew water for them. When they were settled in it he held her back to him and murmured to her, "Your tub is too small."_

 _With a laugh Beckett playfully nudged him with her elbow and said, "I don't have the space that you do. But this is still nice." She soon began to sigh as he kissed around her shoulders and she told him, "We should get out."_

 _"But-" Castle started to say before he cut himself off abruptly. "Okay," he said as he'd recalled Julia would take baths there. He got out with her and said, "Why don't you two come over to the loft tomorrow?"_

 _Beckett was about to answer him when suddenly he was continuing and she didn't have the heart to stop him._

 _"We can take her to the children's museum in the morning and head out for lunch," Castle said as they were drying off together. "And at night we should have a fall themed dinner."_

 _"Fall themed?" Beckett asked, unable to keep the laughter out of her voice at his enthusiasm._

 _"Some… soup," Castle said, thinking quickly. "And some turkey… sandwiches," he said quickly when she glanced at him. "And we can get something… fall themed for dessert."_

 _Beckett didn't say anything as they were getting onto the bed then and she told him, "I think that works." She paused and said with a smile, "You're thinking of how this is her first autumn aren't you?"_

 _"I am," Castle agreed with a quick nod. "But this is just because I'd love to have a family dinner; all of us together; kind of a practice for Thanksgiving."_

 _With another smile Beckett leaned down to her boyfriend; as she was raised above him slightly; and kissed him tenderly before she was held in place by him. After they'd gone through their much deeper kiss she smiled at him when he let out a heavy breath and told him, "I'll call my dad tomorrow."_

 _"And you can stay?" Castle asked to remind her._

 _"Yes," Beckett said easily before she leaned down and kissed him again. That time though she was brushing her lips to his before she pulled away enough and said, "Think of something for Sunday too, since we'll stay then."_

 _"Sure," Castle said easily. He watched her lay down and as she pressed her cheek to his shoulder he held her tightly to him before he moved them._

 _Beckett allowed her boyfriend to initiate their next bout of making love, going along with it eagerly as she wasn't sure she was going to be able to stop. And as they kissed yet again she could feel that Castle was the same in the way he held and touched her as they didn't stop moving as one._

* * *

"Does it feel like it's taking longer than usual?" Castle asked his wife.

"Usual?" Beckett replied, looking at him in confusion.

"Than it should," Castle quickly corrected himself. "But I guess they couldn't get the books they'll have next to us in case anyone needs a copy."

"Why not take care of it as soon as they could this morning," Beckett said.

Hearing a knock on the door Castle looked with his wife over at it before Skye peeked her head in. "You're leaving?" he asked her.

"No," the investigator said with a smile as she came into the room fully. "I asked what was going on and they said they're almost ready for you to come back out."

"What about you?" Beckett asked her as she sat at the table with them.

"Oh I'm fine; caught sight of a few books but I can grab them later when you're about done," Skye answered.

"When we leave," Castle said. "What're you going to do?"

"Mary's taking off two days," Skye said. "And Dad gets back from Bermuda the day before so he'll watch the girls."

"You're staying home?" Beckett said slowly.

"We're going to Santa Barbara," Skye answered. "Too bad you two couldn't have done anything there; beautiful city."

"I had heard about that," Castle said. "But we never got asked to go there."

"We're just staying for a few days," Skye said. "Get in some last-minute surfing before winter kicks in."

"You never do that during the winter?" Beckett asked.

"If the waves are too hard to resist," Skye said simply, smiling. "Speaking of that-"

"We'll go to the beach," Beckett interrupted before she could finish.

Before anyone could say anything, there was a knock on the door and they looked at it to see it was the employee from before.

"Time to go out?" Castle asked him. When the man nodded he got up and walked with Beckett to the door before he said to Skye who was behind them, "You're still going to stay around here?"

"Of course," Skye replied with a nod before they had reached the table where she was startled to find there were a few people in front of it.

"Are you the woman they based Sky on in their first book?" the woman at the front of the group asked.

"I…" Skye started to say.

"You are," the woman said before she rushed up to her. "Could you sign my book? I loved your character in _End of the Line_. Did you help them write at all?"

"I didn't," Skye said slowly as she was taking the book.

Beckett was dismayed when the other two in the group started to speak at the same time, making Skye look uneasy. "Please," she said, stepping over to stand beside her friend. "She's not here to take your questions; we are."

"It would probably be better if you wait in line before it gets too full," Castle said. "If you'd like us to sign your books."

When the group left the employee stopped Skye from saying anything and led Castle and Beckett up to the table.

" _Thanks for the help_ ," Skye said in Russian to Beckett.

" _I had to, you're not used to that_ ," she replied easily.

" _Are you_?" Skye asked, looking closely at her.

" _Eventually you get to be_ ," Beckett said, smiling at her. "Have fun looking around," she then said, switching to English.

"You too," Skye said, smiling back at her before she left them to go to some books next to the escalator.

"Ready?" Castle asked his wife. When she nodded he walked with her to the table, pulling out the chair for her before he looked at the line ahead of them. It was packed and he looked at his wife before the first person could walk up to them.

"This one was great," the man, who had said his name was Noah, told them. "I did not see the ending that was a perfect twist."

"Glad to hear that," Castle said, handing the book to his wife. "Since it's what we try our best for of course."

"He's right," Beckett said with a smile to the man as she was signing the book. "We're happy to hear you enjoyed it." She smiled at her husband when the man walked off and neither of them had a slip of paper.

" _That was just the first one_ ," Castle told her with a returned smile. They watched as the next person, a woman, walked up to them and he prepared himself to endure all the questions that they would get.

Sometime later; Beckett wasn't sure how long it was as she didn't want to be outright rude to the fans by checking her watch; she saw Skye was at a table near them, checking out some books. She was just turning her attention to the woman who'd come up to them when she heard a harsh groan of pain from the entrance they were nearby and looked up to see a man there.

"Sir-" the security guard that was standing at the open doorway said, trying to stop the man as he was bent over.

With a harsh cough the man shoved the guard and staggered past him, stumbling on his feet before he reached the stairs. Before any employees could stop him, he was falling down the two steps that were in front of the table Castle and Beckett were sitting at. He reached out to them and gave a last groan before he went still; setting off several screams as the sound of two chairs hitting the floor joined them.

"He's dead," Skye said, first to reach the body as she'd been watching with everyone else as the man had come in.

"What is it?" Beckett asked, watching as her friend was taking something from the man's outstretched left hand with a handkerchief.

"It's addressed to Skye, Kate and Richard," the investigator told them grimly as she stood up to show them.

" _The Club_ … oh god," Castle said before they all turned to look at the man.

"Pablo," the three all said at the same time as they stared down at him in recognition.


	12. Further On, Along The Line

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: It was great to get the feedback I received for the last chapter so will go quickly to my thank yous for it! TORONTOSUN (I was really happy that you liked Castle, Beckett and Skye having fun shopping, I kinda just threw that in when it came to mind and wasn't sure what readers would think so I'm glad I know now! And I was definitely pleased to see you liking the way the title of the chapter corresponded to the chapter, I try to do that with all my lyric titles, lol, so to see that worked out was great!) and  
vetgirlmx (I was pleased to see your reaction to the end of the chapter, you put it very succinctly And I'm very happy to read that I could surprise you with what happened then exactly and them insisting to help with the investigation that time. And I actually hadn't planned to mislead you with the mention of Santa Barbara but nice to know that that ended up happening. And I'm really glad you loved the flashbacks since I enjoyed writing those. And I actually was trying to give readers nostalgia about how things were with their family back then, not surprised you caught that. I am happy to see you prefer their family dynamic the way they are now. And that was the second reason why I wrote those two flashbacks, as a way to show how much things have changed since back then. It was nice to see that you thought it's going to be a really interesting dance competition with Mari dancing in her first one and their first time with a trio dance too. Also glad you're wishing you could see it and I wish readers could too, but hopefully when you read it you'll get some images. So great you can't wait to see what comes next and now you don't need to anymore!).  
Thanks so much for the reviews, loved reading them as usual and appreciate the time taken to write them out and sent them to me!

A/N #2: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song _The Note You Never Wrote_ by Paul and Linda McCartney, from the Wings album _Wings at the Speed of Sound_.

Further On, Along The Line

"Hey, how come you guys are in here?" Mary said, poking her head into the room.

"You didn't see what's outside?" Castle asked in surprise as Skye got up from the table where they were sitting to hug her wife.

"What's outside?" Mary asked.

"They moved the body," Beckett said, standing up and motioning her husband to do the same.

"Body?" Mary said, obviously startled.

Standing next to her Skye took her wife's hand and squeezed it tightly before saying, "Pablo Scott stumbled into the store while they were signing books-"

"He fell at the steps and reached out to us before he died from… whatever killed him," Castle said.

"And he had a note; the police have it right now," Beckett said, looking with them over at the door as there was a knock on it.

"Corey?" Skye asked in surprise. "This is out of your jurisdiction."

"It's not," Detective Burke said as he walked into the room. "Castle, Beckett I wish we were meeting for another reason," he said as he shook their hands.  
"Why are you investigating?" Mary asked.

"SMPD found a cab driver who dropped the vic off here," Burke replied. "And he said he first picked him up around downtown LA; favoring his left side."

"So the attack happened there," Beckett said.

"Which is why we'll be heading the case," a woman said as she came into the room. "And SMPD will be assisting us."

"Eleanor," Skye said with a slight smile to the woman. "Rick, Kate this is Eleanor Fernandez; she's Burke's new partner."

Nodding to them Fernandez said, "We were told that you two also identified the victim."

"Yes," Beckett said first as Castle looked to her. "He was one of the people on Flight 139 with us."

"He was the one that started the club," Castle added.

"Club?" Burke asked.

"The 13R Club," Skye said. "It was the runway at JFK the crew and I landed at during that flight."

"What was there to this club?" Fernandez asked.

"Nothing really," Skye said first.

"We kept in touch with each other as we met about a year after the incident," Beckett said. "And we exchanged e-mail addresses with each other there. Two years ago, we gathered together in February in NYC to meet again and everyone was there even the people who were from Europe."

"Did you take a picture?" Burke asked them.

"A group picture; all one hundred and twelve of us," Castle replied.

"Why?" Skye asked, watching her friend closely.

"You're being asked to consult," Burke said instead of answering.

"All of us?" Skye said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I don't think I'll be much-" Mary said uneasily.

"You can; I reminded everyone you helped out with the Brent investigation," Burke said.

"Then tell us why you wanted to know about the group picture," Skye said.

With a nod Burke pulled something out from his jacket and he handed over a piece of paper in an evidence bag. "I need that back," he said to his friend's startled expression.

With a nod Skye looked at it and said, "Oh god," before she handed it to Beckett.

A sigh escaping her lips Beckett said, "This is everyone that lives here; but Skye."

"I had a feeling," Burke said.

"Why didn't he put you with the others?" Fernandez asked as she'd seen the paper that had six pictures; including the victim; on them.

"That's a great question," Skye commented. "I wish I knew. But so you know these are from our group picture."

"Exactly from it," Castle said.

"Do you have it?" Burke asked them.

"It's at home," Skye replied.

"Our copy is back at home in New York," Castle commented.

"I'll head over there with them," Burke told his partner. "Are you going to go downtown?"

"I think I need to," Fernandez said. "Call if you find anything."

"You too," Burke replied.

"We're not allowed at the station?" Skye asked her friend when he'd turned his attention to them.

"At the moment no, I'm hoping that soon you can head over there," Burke replied. "I'll follow you to the house."

"Do you need to know what we know about the vic?" Beckett asked.

"Not now," Burke said reassuringly. He led the way then out of the room and said, "Better we're in a more private area for that."

"Understandable," Skye said as they then made their way out of the store before they split up to get to their cars.

* * *

"That's everyone," Castle said as the detective was looking at the picture that Skye had just given him.

"And just the seven of you are here in the state," Burke said slowly.

"Right," Skye said. "Well?"

"What we know," Burke replied. "Is that about hour ago by now someone shot Mr. Scott in the stomach on his left, likely from behind and from a distance."

"So he bled out slowly," Beckett said.

"Very, it took about twenty minutes to a half hour to get to the Promenade and the store," Burke replied. "He was also burned."

"We noticed his face," Castle said quickly. "Do you have any idea the extent?"  
"The autopsy isn't complete yet, actually I don't know if it's even started," Burke replied. "But I could see some burns on his hands, the palms."

"Defensive?" Mary asked.

"Or him trying to put out a fire?" Skye asked.

"We don't know; it depends on finding the scene of the crime," Burke replied. "And that's what Fernandez is doing… or attempting to anyway, I have to wonder if she'll have much luck." He then turned his attention to Skye and asked, "Had you heard from him recently?"

Shaking her head Skye said, "I only heard from him vocally when he found out that Rick and Kate were going to be signing their book here."

"You don't know a more specific time?" Burke asked her.

"February," Mary answered for her wife. "He wanted to do something for the fifth anniversary of the flight but it wasn't possible."

"She's right, so he wanted to try maybe a little get together of them and us California survivors," Skye added. "As a surprise though for them."

"How far did his plans go?" Beckett asked, surprised but not completely taken aback at that news.

"We were going to get together at the Getty your last night here," Skye said with a sigh. "It was reserved and everything, caterers… my band and I were going to perform for us."

"We should still do it _grá_ ," Mary said, grabbing her wife's arm.

"We can," Skye replied. "But I'm very concerned about the rest of the people on that note."

"I wonder about him not writing anything, why the pictures?" Mary commented, looking at the picture of the note from Scott on her wife's tablet, the pictures attached crookedly. "And I realized he didn't have time but he managed to fix them there."

"It might be gum," Castle said.

"What else would there be to stick the pictures?" Beckett said to the others.

"They're going to be determining that," Burke replied with a nod. "But also, the pictures are our key."

"Maybe not," Castle replied. He wasn't surprised when the detective glanced at him and he explained, "If the killer has a copy of the picture he might realize his pictures are gone; he could throw that copy away."

"He's right," Beckett said. "So it's not a key exactly; more of a list."

"Are you close with these other people?" Burke asked Skye.

"Yes, they all live in Southern California," the investigator replied with a nod. "And they were ready to go to the party; along with three others who were going to be in town. But they're not there."

"I still need their names," Burke told her.

With a nod Skye began, "Ernest and Gloria Derwent and Sean Corduroy. They were in business," saying the last to Castle and Beckett.

"We remember them," Beckett said then. "Even though that reunion was a while ago."

"What're you going to do?" Skye asked her friend.

With a sigh Burke said, "I think I need to get in touch with my superior; talk to him about getting them all protection."

"Is there a possibility they can stay in a hotel?" Castle asked.

"Maybe," Burke replied. "Let me step out and call him."

When he was gone Skye looked at the others and said with a slight smile, "I'm remembering that party."

"Me too," Mary said gently, squeezing her arm.

"Us too," Castle said, Beckett nodding next to them. He smiled slightly nostalgically and said, "Remember how Pablo announced us all?"

The two women murmured that they could and Beckett recalled their night at the Waldorf, meeting up again with all their fellow survivors and the joy they'd had in having done that; survived.

* * *

 _"Welcome everyone," Scott said in the microphone that he had been given. "To the 13R Club, it's taken two years but finally we've managed to get back together and in far better circumstances." He paused as there was some laughter before he continued with, "But I am pleased that we've made it this far and I'd like us to give some applause for our crew for the flight."_

 _Applauding with the others as Skye was announced first Beckett shared a smile with her husband as there were also several whistles._

 _Waiting for the applause to fully stop Scott said, "Enjoy tonight and I hope we'll start a tradition tonight to celebrate our second chance together."_

 _Sitting down then at one of the tables that had been set up Beckett said to Skye, "You're wildly popular."_

 _"So's Phin," the investigator said before she smiled. "And I'm glad everyone still thinks of me positively."_

 _"Why wouldn't they?" Mary asked as they watched the dinner being served._

 _"She's right, no one wouldn't," Castle commented. "Who're you going to dance with tonight?"_

 _"My wife and I'm sure you," Mary said._

 _"I'll pass; I'm too used to taking the more… dominant role dancing? Not sure how you'd call that," Skye said, smiling at them. "But we'll dance and you'll dance with your wife, don't worry."_

 _Castle smiled and nodded slightly before they were being served their food and he turned his attention to it as they began to speak about their kids together up until they were finishing and the tables were being cleared and the subject then changed._

 _"This isn't strange, is it?" Beckett was asking Skye. "A survivor's club?"_

 _"It's not," the investigator told her reassuringly. "This isn't the first time a club like this has been formed."_

 _"I'm assuming there's a story behind that," Castle said when the woman sipped at her drink._

 _With a smile Skye said, "There is but I don't have much connection to it. More they were my father's friends." She wasn't surprised when the two were just looking at her and she finally said, "It was BA Flight 9 a 747, they were flying from London to Auckland and after their fourth stopover in Kuala Lumpur they noticed St. Elmo's Fire around the aircraft."_

 _"St… isn't that a maritime phenomenon?" Beckett asked._

 _"No but I'd thought the same myself when I first heard this story," Skye replied. She waited as her dessert was placed in front of her and said, "They saw nothing on the radar that would indicate what was causing that so they continued on… shortly after smoke entered the cabin and passengers noticed there was something strange happening with the engines; a blue light around them. And after that, one by one, the four engines flamed out."_

 _"I think I've heard about that," Castle said quickly. "They dropped down to a certain flight level and were able to restart the engines, weren't they?"_

 _"Turns out it was volcanic ash from a volcano that had recently erupted," Skye replied. "And that's why there's no flying around volcanoes that had erupted; that one in Iceland back in… 2010 if you remember."_

 _"I do, I was debating going to Europe or the beach house but since flying was shut down that decided it for me," Castle commented, glancing at his wife quickly._

 _Squeezing her husband's hand, as she recalled that had been when he'd gotten back together with his second ex, Beckett said, "And the survivors all formed a club?"_

 _"They did," Skye replied with a smile. "So this," she said as she carefully waved her fork around the room. "This is nothing but us saying…"_

 _"Thank you to you," Castle finished for her. He shared a smile with his wife when the investigator pretended to grumble and said, "At some point you'll get used to it."_

 _"Unlikely," Skye said._

 _"She's right; she's still passing off thanks from the former president for when she saved him and the others on their flight," Mary commented. "And that was a while ago."_

 _"Music's starting," Skye commented as the band was beginning to perform. She stood and said to her wife, "Care to dance?"_

 _Watching the two women leave Beckett said to her husband, "Want to go?"_

 _"Yeah," Castle said, laughing slightly as he wasn't surprised at her beating him to the question. He got up with her and took her hand before they went to join the others on the dance floor. He stopped close to Skye and Mary before he turned to his wife and they began to dance._

 _"Is he still planning on taking that group picture of all of us?" Beckett asked her friend._

 _"He is," Skye said with a smile. "Trying to bow out already?" She laughed slightly when Beckett just looked at her and then turned her attention to her wife, putting her arms around her._

 _Watching them dance a little away from them Castle looked at his wife and said, "I asked for a copy," as Scott had told them all when they'd walked into the room they were using that he had hired someone to take the picture._

 _"I'm not surprised," Beckett told him. "And I'm glad that you did."_

 _"Great where can we put the picture?" Castle asked._

 _"Let's wait until we're home," Beckett replied with a smile. "And decide then." They danced together until the music ended and they walked together out of the way of the others. She smiled at a woman who had stopped them and said, "I'm glad you were able to make it Anne."_

 _"I've retired," the woman; one of the flight attendants in first class said. "So has Kendra; she was down in business."_

 _"Did you continue to fly?" Castle asked._

 _"We both did, I just felt it was time to stop," Anne replied. "Kendra's opening a restaurant in New Orleans so that's why she stopped."_

 _"What're you going to do now?" Beckett asked her._

 _"I have to see," Anne said honestly. "I just wanted to say hello; tell Skye the same."_

 _"We will," Castle promised. When they were alone he looked at Beckett and said, "Do you still want coffee?"_

 _"Yeah," Beckett said simply before she let him lead the way over to where it was being served._

 _"Great to see you," Scott said as the two approached where he was standing next to the drinks with his wife. "Are you enjoying yourselves?"_

 _"We are," Beckett was first to say to reassure the man._

 _"She's right, it's really nice to see everyone again," Castle replied._

 _"I thought people would scoff this idea," Scott said honestly to them._

 _"Oh Pablo," Skye said, walking up to them with Mary. "I told you they would want to do this; we survived this together haven't we?"_

 _"True," Scott said with a smile at her before he started to frown when his phone began to ring._

 _"Something wrong?" Castle asked._

 _"A family issue, it doesn't matter," Scott replied as he waved his hand in the air slightly after rejecting the call. "I think we should start gathering everyone to take the picture. Excuse me."_

 _"He wants to take it over here," Scott's wife, Wendy, told them before she led them over to the area._

 _It took a little time to get everyone standing where they needed to be but finally the members of the club were standing together around Captain George Burgh, Co-Pilot Phin Sedley, Engineer Donald Easton and Skye. Castle and Beckett; at the investigator's insistence; were next to her and they all looked at the camera as the photographer called to them to look at his camera before he took the shot._

* * *

"Alright," Burke said as he came into the room, getting everyone's attention. "They're going to have some officers contact the six and the two other names we have to get them to a hotel."

"Oh, you can do that?" Skye asked.

"We can, we need to," Burke replied. "Easier to keep an eye on them all together."

"You don't have a safe house?" Castle said suddenly. He was startled when Burke just smiled at him and said, "You do."

"We do," the detective replied with a nod. "We're taking them to hotels near them first and then bringing them to the safe house which we established near the station. So for now, I need to know what you know about our vic."

"We only know him from the flight and the club," Skye said first.

"But you knew him a little more than that since he lived in the area," Burke said to Skye.

"We met up every once in a while," Mary said. "Oh god… Wendy," she said to her wife.

"She knows," Burke said. "I talked to her myself and I asked how her husband had been lately."

"You should have her go to your station; or talk to her," Beckett said.

"He wants me to talk to her, with you of course," Skye commented. "Which I will."

"I had expected it," Burke said.

"But where," Beckett asked, looking at Skye to let her know she was okay with what she'd said.

"At her home in Venice," Mary said. "She lives near her father's home so he's had them over a few times for dinner."

"I'm wondering if you two can speak to her alone," Burke told them.

"Yes, but you'll have to make sure we're somewhere in the home where you can hear us," Skye told him. "What did she say to your question though?"

"She couldn't really answer; she was upset," Burke replied.

Sighing Skye nodded and said, "Alright. As for anything with Pablo lately… I haven't seen him since before March and back then I didn't notice anything. We did talk via e-mail but of course I can't tell tone there; he was normal in those; and he was definitely excited about this reunion small though it might be."

"Alright, I'll have you guys follow me," Burke told them as he got out his phone. He then said, "Mary, Castle-"

"We'll join you," he said first, glancing at Mary.

"He's right but now I wonder-" Skye's wife started to say.

"Listen to us _grá_ ," the investigator told her. "See if there's anything to Wendy."

"But she… alright," Mary began to protest. She sighed and said to the others, "I forgot you'll still have to check her."

"We will," Skye said before they started to walk outside. "Did you tell Fernandez to look into any security cameras in the area?"

"She knows," Burke replied. "And we'll do that; I just need to get a look into the vic."  
"The others on that list," Castle said.

"There are officers doing that for me at the station; you'll need to come with me after our interview," Burke said, looking at the four of them.

"We will," Skye replied. They then went out to the cars and split up, Burke on his own and the rest of them in Castle and Beckett's rental car which she drove over to Venice.

When they pulled up to a small house Castle said, "They didn't have kids?"

"No, it was just them," Mary said first.

"And they have several dogs," Skye added. She parked behind Burke before they got out at nearly the same time and she said to the detective, "Does she know we're coming?"

"You yes," Burke replied. "But not the rest of you."

"She does know us," Castle said. "She'll remember us from the party."

"That'll help," Burke commented with a nod. "Come on," he said to them before he led the way up the path to the front door.

"Detective," Wendy Scott said after she'd opened the door. She dried her cheeks and said, "Skye…"

"Wendy, you remember Mary of course," the investigator said, gently pushing past Burke to place her hand on the woman's shoulder. "And this is-"

"The writers," Wendy interrupted when she caught sight of Castle and Beckett. "You were on the flight."

"We're in the club," Beckett said, nodding her head.

"Please, come inside," Wendy told them, sniffing heavily. After she'd closed the door in the home she said, "I heard you help solve cases. Are you helping with my… my husband's?"

"If that's an issue-" Mary started to say.

"No, I want you to find who did this to him," Wendy said firmly.

"In that case," Skye began, glancing at Beckett who gave her a quick nod in response. "Do you mind speaking to me and Kate?"

"No, not at all," Wendy replied after taking a shaky breath.

"Let's head into the living room," Skye told her gently. She gave a quick look to Burke who didn't say anything and she followed the woman to the room; Beckett behind them.

Once they were sitting Beckett spoke first; as Skye had squeezed her right elbow rapidly when it was hidden from the woman in front of them; and said to her, "Could you tell us how your husband was doing lately?"

Wendy didn't reply to that and instead stood up, going to a credenza that was against a wall. "When I heard from Detective Burke about my husband," she said to the two. "I grabbed this because I knew you'd need to see it," she said as she handed the file to Skye.

Opening it Skye frowned and said, "What happened to these?"

"A week ago Pablo came over to me, angry and telling me I had ruined his idea doing that to those pictures," Wendy said, looking down at the photographs which had the faces cut out in neat squares that matched the sizes of the ones on the note.

"What were his plans?" Beckett asked as she had to place her hand on Skye's arm to keep her from speaking.

"He was going to make a kind of invitation and have Skye… leave it for you or something," Wendy said. "He wasn't very clear on what he wanted to do exactly; he gave me a vague explanation really. But considering how mad he got I guess it was important for him."

"So you know about the party," Beckett said.

"I do," Wendy replied. "He's been trying to get another reunion going ever since the last one but it never worked out."

"He essentially gave up and decided a smaller one would be better," Skye said. She wasn't surprised when Beckett looked at her and she told her, "We talked about that during e-mails."

"And besides his reaction to these pictures how long has he been acting strangely?" Beckett asked as she motioned to the file.

"About… a week and a half," Wendy answered. "That was only two days before he found the pictures were missing."

"Did you try and talk to him?" Skye asked.

"Of course, but he just said he was stressed out about the party, trying to make sure that everything went well," Wendy said with a slight sigh. "I tried to tell him I didn't believe him but… I knew my husband and I knew that he wasn't going to tell me anything he didn't want to. I… snooped a little into him but there was nothing."

"His phone, computer?" Beckett asked.

"I checked those first thing," Wendy said, nodding her head. "But I didn't find anything that would make me worry so…" She sobbed once and covered her mouth quickly before she whispered an apology.

"It's alright," Beckett said first, Skye nodding next to her. "Now I wonder if you could tell me if anyone who was around your husband made you suspicious at all."

At first the woman was going to speak but she hesitated, looking obviously thoughtful, until finally she nodded. "He had some co-workers who always bothered me; he wanted to invite them to the party actually."

"What are their names?" Beckett asked quickly.

"Stephen Turner and Bishop Hale," Wendy said. When the two women looked at her she said, "That's his name, he's not a religious bishop."

"Okay," Beckett replied, writing down the names in case Burke couldn't hear. "What was it about them that bothered you?"

"They were always trying to push my husband for something," Wendy replied. "They were essentially using him to get things and they were using him again for the party."

"And why would they want to go to the party?" Skye asked after she and Beckett had exchanged a look.

"I don't know, he just insisted they should go," Wendy said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Anyone else?" Beckett asked.

"Isn't that enough?" Wendy replied, sounding teary again.

"Can we ask where you were about an hour ago?" Beckett said.

With a heavy, shuddering sigh Wendy said, "I was here, I stayed home as I needed to use my sick days at work."

"Can anyone confirm that?" Skye asked.

"My neighbor, she was going for a walk and I spoke to her out in the front," Wendy said, pointing to her left.

"Okay, if there's anything else that might have stood out to you then please contact Detective Burke," Beckett said.

"I will," Wendy said, her voice slightly strangled before she started to cry again.

Skye quickly went to the woman and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly before she murmured to her, nodding at Beckett quickly.

Walking out to where the other three were still waiting for them she asked Burke, "Did you hear all of that?"

"I did, which way did she point when she was talking about the neighbor?" the detective asked.

"There," Beckett said, nodding to where the home was.

"Stay here and wait for her to finish with Mrs. Scott," Burke replied before he left the house.

" _What do you think_?" Beckett asked Mary.

" _She seems legit and if she were trying for a fake alibi the neighbor is a bit too close_ ," she replied, not surprised when the two didn't have any reaction to that. " _So once_ Burke _clears her she's set. I'm more interested with those two names; what reason would they have to want to go to a party attended by you all_?"

"I hope it's not us," Castle commented.

"Me too, that would mean they're distracting you big time," Mary said. When they looked at her in surprise she said, "With the pictures on that list."

"Interesting theory," Castle said.

"What're you thinking?" Beckett asked him.

"What about Skye?" Castle said. When he saw his wife looked doubtful he said quickly, "She's well known too, remember what happened when she stepped out ahead of us at the bookstore."

"It's possible," Beckett said slowly.

"What is?" Skye asked, coming up behind them.

"Is she okay?" Mary asked.

"She will be. Corey?" Skye said, looking around and seeing the detective wasn't there.

"We need to go out, he went to talk to the neighbor," Beckett answered.

"I hope the fact he didn't come back means he was able to contact her," Skye said before they left.

"Hey, she's alright?" Burke asked as the four reached where he was hanging up his phone.

"As good as she can be right now," Skye said before she trailed off, looking past him.

Turning around as he saw the other three were looking as well, Burke saw a man running from a car and his hand immediately went down to his weapon. "Can I help you sir?" standing in his way.


	13. Further On, Along The Line (Part 2)

"I need to get to my cousin," the man replied.

"And I need to get to my cousin in law," a second man said, walking up to them after.

"You're related to Mrs. Scott?" Burke asked.

"Yeah… who're you?" the first man said, looking around the detective to the four behind him.

"It doesn't matter," Burke said. "What are your names?"

"I'm Nick Scott," the second man replied.

"And I'm Gary Tyler," the first said. "Please, is Wendy alright?"

"Where have you come from?" Beckett asked.

"We work in Culver City," Nick said first.

"Together?" Mary asked.

"Yeah, same office," Nick said. "Now let us see Wendy," he told Burke, the anger in his voice rising.

"I just need a contact for you; to talk to you later about Mr. Scott," the detective said.

"Why?" Nick asked.

"Have you noticed anything strange with Mr. Scott lately?" Burke replied with a question.

"I… I did," Tyler said. He took deep breath when Burke looked at him closely and said, "He was just… uneasy and it was because of that party Wendy told us about."

"Were you two invited?" Castle said.

"Yeah, since there weren't that many people going he was trying to flesh out the numbers," Nick answered. "But just us two and some… dudes from his work. I don't know who they are."

"Alright, go ahead and see Wendy she'll need you," Burke said. They watched the two men walk up to the house and once they'd disappeared inside he held up his hand when the four as one turned to him. "I know but I don't have much besides one of them is a jackass. And they gave me an alibi," he added. "Which I'll check as soon as I get to my desk at the station. Let's go."

"We'll follow," Skye said. "Wait," she said before the detective could head over to his car. "The neighbor?"

"She confirmed it, and she has a security camera on her driveway right there," Burke replied, pointing it out under the eaves of the house. "A car was stolen in the neighborhood so she put that up. So hopefully Fernandez is back so we can get everything together."

Skye nodded when her friend looked at her and walked with her wife, Castle and Beckett to the rental car before she said, "I get the feeling we'll be needed now for filling in their murder board."

"Most likely," Mary said. "Never done that before," she said, glancing back at Castle and Beckett who were in the back seat.

"What? We have," Castle replied.

"No, I'm just thinking I'm very much the odd one out," Mary said.

"Oh, don't start _grá_ ," Skye replied. "You'll be a big help, don't worry, you have been before."

Mary shrugged before she turned her attention to the road and said, "Luckily I'm clear now."

"We thought you were going to be working," Castle said.

"No, I had the one patient I saw today when Skye texted me," Mary said. She knew Castle and Beckett were looking at her in confusion and she said, "She texted 510."

"Which means… emergency?" Beckett guessed.

"Yeah, a random code for just us to know," Skye said.

"We'll have to change it," Mary told her wife jokingly.

"We're fine," Skye said wryly. She glanced at her watch since she had a chance and she said, "I didn't realize what time it was."

"You're hungry," Mary said with a smile.

"A bit," Skye said simply. She glanced back at Castle and Beckett and said, "Call Burke, tell him we're stopping at the In-N-Out near the station."

"What, us?" Castle asked in surprise, about to grab his phone.

"No," Skye said quickly. "Mary."

Watching the woman talking on the phone Beckett said as soon as she'd hung up, "Are you still planning on having that practice and dinner tonight?"

"Yeah, it was going to be at seven," Mary replied. "The dinner; the band is coming at six… only five hours love," she said to her wife.

"We can push it back if we need to," Skye said quickly, pulling into the drive thru of the restaurant. She ordered not only for them when they were at the speaker but for Burke and Fernandez, saying as they were waiting to get to the window, "We'll be in an office."

"He has his own office?" Castle asked.

"They do, it's his and Burke's," Mary answered. "So we won't incite everyone else to anger."

Beckett didn't say anything to the look her husband gave her as they'd reached the window and when she smelled the food once they were driving away she said, "I forgot how good that smells."

"Me too," Castle said, leaning around the passenger seat.

"Stop that," Mary said, smacking his wrist away as he was reaching for the bag where the fries were. "We're sharing at the station."

"Rick," Beckett said warningly.

"No last name for that?" Skye asked with a smile.

"No," Beckett said, smiling at her in the rearview mirror. They were pulling into a parking spot shortly after and she and Castle walked behind their friends to the entrance to the station. "We need to call them," she murmured to him.

"True," Castle replied. "They're still at the dance class so… after lunch?"

"Around two fifteen," Beckett replied easily.

The four were going into the building and were met by Burke who got them visitor passes before he led them to the room next to his and his partner's office.

"Is this for lunch?" Mary asked as they were sitting once the food had been passed out.

"No, investigations which we'll be using it for too," Burke replied. He picked up three fries at once before he said, "Since I have some news. Well, besides the fact that Fernandez is still looking around the downtown area."

"Tyler and the other Scott are cleared," Castle said since he was the only one not eating at that moment.

"Right," Burke replied. "They were in a meeting at the time, so I've talked to them enough for now."

"Is that it?" Skye asked when he didn't say anything else.

"That's it," Burke said easily. "We should just enjoy lunch."

The group laughed at his tone before they did so, talking about the party and whether it should still be held. When they'd finished eating they moved over to the office and while Burke went out to check on some information Beckett and Skye handled the murder board before they finished just as the detective was coming back inside with two files; one in each hand.

"One thing I need to ask the three of you," Burke said. "You saw the vic come into the bookstore and yet you didn't recognize him?"

"He never stayed still looking straight at us," Castle said first.

"He's right," Skye added. "Even when he did stop he was bent over; from his wound we know now; but it wasn't until we could see his profile that I knew…"

"You saw the note first," Beckett said quickly to the investigator as she trailed off.

"I was the first to the body," Skye explained to her wife and Burke. "And the note was the first thing I could really focus on in the shock of him appearing. I saw the marker on it and I had to see that first."

"It doesn't matter," Burke replied easily. "You did see him eventually and we would have identified him in the end. And now I know why you didn't immediately recognize him."

"That and his face was covered in soot," Castle commented.

"I'm not surprised the security guard stopped him," Burke said.

"So are those the 'two dudes' Mr. Scott was talking about?" Mary asked as Burke sat at the table and placed the two files in front of him.

"They are, Mr. Turner and Mr. Hale," Burke replied. "They're both forty-two; same age as the vic; and they worked with him at the law firm of Stanton, Felix and Diaz in downtown LA."

"Did you let Fernandez know?" Beckett asked.

"She's on her way there; patrol is doing a sweep of the area since they haven't found it yet," Burke said. "She'll grab the two and bring them in."

"Married?" Castle asked.

"Both single," Burke said with a sigh.

"What?" all four said at the same time.

"I found out why they were going to the party," Burke said. "And I believe a motive for the murder if it was them."

Beckett looked at the paper that the detective slid to her and she read it before breathing out saying, "Social media is-"

"Yes, public," Burke replied as Beckett slid the paper to Skye. "But I've seen killers use it."

"To be honest Corey," Skye said after she'd read the paper which were a series of posts on a site between the two men. "This is them saying they'd be going to the party and able to see the two of us," she said as they involved the men wanting to meet her and Beckett. "Unless you found out that they were uninvited," she said after studying her friend for a moment.

Without a word Corey slid over a paper and said, "This was in the vic's computer, his wife called while I was out to send it to me."

"They're uninvited," Castle commented as he looked over the message from the vic to the two men. "You're going to go with this angle," he stated instead of asking.

"For the time being; I need to see their reaction when I get them into the box," Burke replied.

"What about alibis?" Mary said. "Not for the two guys, Scott and Turner."

"We-" Burke started to say.

"You mean the person who gave their alibi," Skye interrupted him as she was looking at her wife.

"Not person, persons," Burke said quickly. "Though I get what you're thinking now."

"A third conspirator would be interesting," Castle said. "But that would bring things back to the question of motive."

"That's the difficult part," Beckett said, glancing at Skye.

"How public was this tour of yours?" Burke said.

"Not… really," Beckett said.

"It was on our site but there was no mention of anything besides it being in California," Castle said. "But I'm afraid the site of the bookstore had us in their calendar of authors that would be at the store."

"And that's extremely public," Skye commented, not surprised when the detective looked at her.

"You," Burke stated.

"Aye, me," Skye replied, standing up. She began to pace before she said, "Not many people are too aware that I'm friends with them…"

"I saw the coverage of the last case you worked on out here," Burke said. "And so did you."

"Nothing ever mentioned that you were staying with me or that I'd asked you to assist me," Skye told Castle and Beckett. "Believe me I checked to see how much they could find out."

"So did we," Beckett replied. "But we were in the news, someone could figure out why we were helping you."

"That was a year ago," Burke said. "If this is about the two of you then they may have been watching you a little sooner."

"Rogue agent?" Castle suggested.

Not surprised to see Burke pause with his soda held halfway up to his mouth Skye said, "I doubt it would go that far. Unless you're thinking about this in the context of my office."

"I had," Castle replied. "Though I guess after what happened last year security was bulked up a lot more?"

"Yeah, they thought it was best," Skye said. "Nothing really overt, it's more they watch my computer and phones. Oh my mail too."

"And nothing?" Beckett asked.

"Nope, not a blessed thing," Skye said. "So let's put up two possibilities," she told Burke. "Me and Beckett or our vic himself."

"Were you able to find anything about his job?" Mary asked.

Before Beckett could say anything, there was a knock on the open doorway and the four looked over at the officer that was there. When he handed off another file to Burke they waited, waiting to see if the detective would let them know what it was for as he began to flip through the papers.

"The firm must have had a significant reaction," Burke said finally, looking around the table at everyone. "This is the list of his clients, three that gave them problems."

"You mean with the law involved?" Beckett asked once she realized why he had those names.

"Yes, they sued him for… misrepresentation?" Burke said, looking at Skye.

"They were thrown out," Beckett said, drawing attention to her once more. She shrugged and said, "It sounds like a frivolous lawsuit; at least to whoever judged."

"Names?" Skye asked.

"First is the Kerensky company; the CEO sued him for the loss of a contract for… lights, something like that," Burke replied. "Oh, LED energy saving lights."

"I know that company," Mary said. "They're derided for not being environmentally aware in their practices; I'm shocked they were even up for a contract if it was for those kinds of light bulbs."

"Not light bulbs," Burke corrected. "Fixtures."

"That makes a little more sense," Mary said in response, nodding her head.

"The second company, Southern Rail," Burke said as he looked to Skye.

"Ah yes," the investigator said before she gave a heavy sigh as she put her right leg over the other. "I've dealt with them in a past investigation, a year before I met you two," she said to Castle and Beckett. "What was the lawsuit for?"

"Directly related to you," Burke said. "They were trying to appeal the fine they were slapped with after that derailment outside Frisco and it got turned down."

"No wonder that was thrown out by the judge," Castle commented.

"And lastly Georg Xavier," Burke read last.

"He's one of the ones on the list," Castle, Beckett and Skye said at the same time.

"Which gave me pause," Burke answered with a nod. "That one was for his attempt to sue his former employer but it got thrown out."

"We didn't notice anything at the party between them though," Castle commented.

"I'm not surprised," Burke said. "All three of these people; for Southern Rail it was the co-CEO who was behind it, Margaret Todd."

"I'll put this on the board," Skye said, standing up.

"I'll need to check into the three; I'll start with Xavier since we know where he is," Burke replied as he stood up. "I'll come back once I do."

"You might need to talk to him," Mary commented.

"That'll be great… I wonder why he was going to go if he had this with Pablo going on still… maybe," Castle said to his wife as Mary went to stand with her wife.

"I don't know… very likely it could be he forgave… when was the case?" Beckett asked him as he was closest to the papers with the information on them.

"That was… years ago, three before the incident," Castle said after searching for it and then finding it.

"Sounds like it was surviving the flight that brought about forgiveness," Skye said. "I should tell Corey," she told the others before she hurried out.

"We need to call our daughters," Beckett said, looking at her watch.

"Excuse me," Mary said with a smile.

"Wait, Mary…" Castle began before the woman left and he had no reason to continue. "Okay I guess we're talking to them alone," he said, looking at his wife.

"Probably better," Beckett said simply before she took her tablet out of the bag she'd brought with them to the bookstore. She watched her husband text Alexis while she was starting up the device and smiled as there was an almost immediate response to what her husband had sent. "I guess they've been waiting for us," she commented.

"Want to bet they won't be surprised we're working on a case?" Castle asked.

"No," Beckett said simply before she then looked with him at the screen as their daughters soon after appeared. "Hey you guys," she told them.

"You found a case, didn't you?" Julia said by way of a greeting.

Sharing a look with his wife Castle said, "I told you."

"Did you figure we would get one even over here?" Beckett asked their oldest.

"More it would be fifty-fifty," Alexis said. She looked at her sisters and seeing them looking at her in confusion she explained, "The chances of that happening."

"We don't find the cases," Beckett said. "More they find us."

"Especially in this case," Castle added. When his wife looked at him he asked, "What?" in surprise.

"Someone came into the bookstore where we were signing books," Beckett said, knowing they'd have to explain with that. "And he had been hurt."

"He died there?" Julia asked. When her sister covered her mouth with a slightly audible smack of her hand hitting her she glanced at her and said, "Did he?"

"Eliza," Beckett said. "Sweetie don't-"

"I'm not scared Mommy, I'm sad," Eliza told her firmly. "Are you kay? And you Daddy?"

"We're fine," Castle assured them all. "We know who it was."

"You do?" Alexis asked in shock. When her father and stepmother nodded she said, "I'm so sorry… who was he?"

"Pablo Scott," Beckett answered. "One of the survivors on the flight we were on."

"But… why?" Julia asked.

"It's what we're trying to figure out," Beckett said. "We're at the station where Detective Corey had us join him to look at what we have so far."

"Can you say?" Julia asked.

"Better if we don't," Castle commented. "But we're going to work on the case."

"What about your book signings?" Alexis asked.

"When we were on the way to the station," Castle said, answering since he'd found that out. "Our agent contacted us and let us know they've cancelled them; security concerns."

"The same with the parties?" Alexis then said.

"No, those are still going on as they're private and in secure areas," Castle commented.

"Are you gonna go?" Eliza asked.

"We will," Beckett said before she looked at her husband. When the girls asked what she was thinking she smiled at them briefly before telling them, "The victim was putting together a surprise party for us and the… hello Mari."

"Hi, sorry you can keep talking," the little girl said, blushing slightly.

"That's alright," Castle said. "But we've been thinking about still having the party."

"You should," Julia said. "But… why was it a surprise party?"

"You didn't let me finish," Beckett said to her husband. "It was for us but the guests were also going to be the other survivors of the flight that live here in Southern California. And a few other people as well."

"Where was it going to be?" Alexis said.

"The Getty; the victim reserved it at night," Castle answered that time. "So… yeah, we think we should go ahead with it; to honor his memory at least."

"He's the one who started your club," Alexis stated. When they nodded he said, "He wanted you guys to have regular meetings didn't he?"

"You convinced us," Castle said jokingly though he was smiling then. "We'll have to let everyone know still… we need his guest list."

"Was that all you've done today?" Julia asked.

"I guess we should tell you everything," Beckett said with a smile. She and her husband told the girls about the day before and when with the McDouglas family before they got to that morning.

"That was a good restaurant," Castle told his wife after they had spoken about their breakfast with Skye. "We'll have to take them whenever we come back."

"I wanna go," Eliza said quickly.

"You'll be with us," Beckett said reassuringly. "After that we went shopping while we waited for the time we needed to be at the bookstore."

"And after that we got the case," Castle added.

"He's right," Beckett said, trying not to smile as the girls looked at each other. "Now we want to hear about your days."

Listening to Eliza first Julia glanced at her parents, wondering what they'd think about her dance class. She talked about her own school day as soon as her sister was over and said, "At the start of the class Ms. Grey said there's gonna be another competition. Before Thanksgiving."

"We had a feeling," Castle said, smiling at his wife. "And you and Peter were picked I'm sure."

With a slight laugh Julia nodded and said, "But we're gonna do something else too." She looked at Mari who was sitting next to her and threw her arm around her shoulder saying, "We're gonna do a trio dance and Mari's with us."

"That's great to hear," Beckett said with a smile. "I hope that it happens this time."

"Us too," Mari said shyly. "And we're gonna dance the Paso."

"Good, you practiced that?" Castle said. At the girls' nods he smiled and said, "Then you're on your way already."

"Was that it for your class?" Beckett asked.

"Well we practiced with Norah and Irwin too," Julia said.

"I did too," Eliza told them.

"Great, you danced with your sister?" Castle asked.

"Peter danced with me," Eliza said. "Just for a little."

"Any helps," Julia said.

"She's right," Beckett said. "And after you came home?"

"Mari and I practiced a little in my room," Julia said first, sharing a smile with her friend.

"And I did art," Eliza said.

"And we're having dinner soon," Alexis said last. "We ordered Italian."

"We trust you," Castle told his daughter, smiling when she rolled her eyes.

"When are you gonna go back home?" Eliza asked.

"Later today, I'm sure that Detective Burke won't keep us all night," Beckett said first.

"That and Skye needs to go home… well her and Mary," Castle said.

"Why?" the girls said at the same time.

"They're going to rehearse tonight," Beckett told them. "Since they're going to perform at that party."

"Did the… vic," Eliza started to ask before she recalled the word. "Did he ask her to?"

"He did," the investigator said herself as she and Mary came into the room. She smiled as those on the screen said hello to her and she waved to them in between Castle and Beckett. "And if we still have the party then I'll be performing there of course."

"Do you need to go?" Julia asked.

"We do, we might be needed on the case soon," Beckett replied. "So we'll say our goodnights," she said as she glanced behind her at Mary and Skye who had suddenly left. Looking back at the screen she said, "I love you Julia, Eliza, goodnight."

"Night Mommy, love you," Julia said.

"Love you too," Eliza added quickly.

"Goodnight Alexis," Beckett directed to her stepdaughter. "I love you too."

"Thanks, I love you too Kate," Alexis replied. "Will you call us tomorrow?"

"We will," Beckett said with a nod.

"And I love you three," Castle told them. "Get some rest, tomorrow's the weekend."

"Yeah, good thing," Alexis said.

"But you have to work on the weekend," Eliza said suddenly.

"It wouldn't be the first time," Castle said. "Don't worry about us and we'll call remember your mom said."

"I love you Dad, we'll see you then," Alexis was first to say. "Oh and I filmed the class, I'll send the videos to you."

"We look forward to them," Beckett told her.

"Night Daddy, I love you too," Eliza said, waving to him.

"And I love you Daddy, night," Julia said, waving too.

After saying goodnight to Mari together Beckett turned off the tablet and said to her husband, "Check your phone."

Smiling Castle gave his wife a brief nod and got it out of his pocket before he received a text. He saw there were two videos and he commented, "I thought she might record the Paso."

"Beginning of the Paso," Beckett replied. When he looked at her she merely smiled and told him, "Ms. Grey likely only started them on it."

"Yeah… but Julia didn't tell us any details," Castle commented before he pressed play on the video.

"I think that's the point," Beckett replied. "Also, it would have taken her too long to explain. And," she said, nodding to the screen of the phone. "We'll likely see the start of it here."

With a nod Castle then pressed play and together he and Beckett watched the long clip that went all the way past when Ms. Grey stopped them and talked about dancing the Paso Doble for the other pair. "Well," he said, looking at his wife.

"Skye," Beckett said as she was looking over to the door. "Come here there's something you should see."

The investigator walked into the room and took the phone Beckett was holding out to her, playing the video that she could see was ready. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of Julia dancing with Mari before that became a smile. "Nice," she said after handing the phone back to Castle. "So what's your question?"

"No question," Beckett told her quickly. "More I just wanted you to see."

"Ah, well I'm proud of her," Skye said. "Of both of them; I hope they'll do well that competition."

"I'll let you know how it goes," Beckett assured her.

"What about the other clip?" Castle reminded his wife.

With a nod Beckett leaned against him as they watched Eliza practicing some of the moves with Peter. "I guess she wasn't kidding; it was short," she said with a smile.

"Here," Castle said, giving the phone to Skye.

"Very cute," the investigator said with a smile and a nod. " _So your daughters are going to dance_ ," she said, speaking in Irish as she sat on the other side of Beckett. " _Think your third… I mean fourth will as well_?"

"We'd have to see," Beckett said simply. She then said, "Where's Mary?"

"Getting some coffee," Skye replied. "Tea for the two of us."

"Nothing from Burke yet?" Castle asked.

"He's still working so I'm leaving him to it. He's behind you though you can't see him at the moment," Skye said, nodding to the window that looked to the detective's office.

"Nothing from Fernandez yet?" Beckett asked.

"No, she's got a lot to cover downtown," Skye said. "Should he have gone with her?"

"Better they divide at this point," Beckett answered, not surprised the two looked at her. "There's a lot to cover as you said."

"Essentially two crime scenes," Castle said. "And it doesn't help we don't know where the first one is."

"What will she need to do if she doesn't find where he was shot," Skye said to Beckett.

With a sigh she said, "She'll need to come back because if it's not in the downtown area… This city is huge, even in NYC it would be an issue, so I would focus on what you know so far."

"That's a bit bleak," Skye said. She then saw the two next to her were looking behind her so she turned, seeing her wife was there. "Where did you get a tray?" she asked as she jumped out of her chair.

"Someone very helpful gave one to me," Mary replied. She sat on the other side of the table and watched her wife join her before she poured out the tea into the two mugs there. "Nothing yet?"

"No, I'm assuming it's going to take some time for him to get in touch with the CEOs," Skye said.

"And there's two," Castle said. "You know an idea I had?"

"It's not the three of them," Skye said.

"No, she's right," Beckett said to her husband. "At the moment it's not looking likely."

"At the moment," Castle quoted her. "So it could be possible."

"Not outside the realm of possibility," Mary commented. "But I imagine you'd want to wait for evidence before you say he's right?"

"I always did," Beckett said, glancing at her husband out of the corner of her eye.

"Smart," Skye said, finishing preparing her tea and sipping at it. "But what I'm more concerned about is Xavier, how the hell can we know that he really forgave Pablo?"

"We don't…" Mary started to say. "You're sure he's secure?" she asked her wife and Beckett.

"He is," the latter said first.

"She's right," Skye said. "If he wasn't with all the others he'd have told us to stay and run off with some other officers. So he's set."

"What about the two dudes?" Castle asked. "We're interviewing them, right?"

"He sent two officers to bring them in separately," Skye said. "And I hate to say it he'll make them wait until Fernandez is back with him."

"Kate and I could-" Castle started to say.

"I think we'll leave it for them Rick," Beckett said, placing her hand on his arm. "This is their case."

"Then can we watch?" Castle asked her.

"If we're still here," Beckett replied easily. "What about you guys?"

"Dinner will essentially be catered tonight," Mary commented after looking at her watch.

"Corey will force us out by six," Skye commented. "Speaking of Corey…" she started to say as she turned her head to the office next door.

Looking over at the doorway Castle and Beckett stood with the investigator and her wife as the detective walked up to it rapidly.

"I just got a call from Fernandez," Burke said, looking around at all four of them. "She found where Scott was shot."


	14. That He's The One

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: Loved getting the feedback for the last chapter and I'll get right to my thank yous for that! MichelleBell16 (So happy to see that you're looking forward to reading more and that you mentioned always wanting to. And now you can do that again!),  
Mb (Great to read first off you thought the epilogue was a fantastic start. And don't worry about being behind, that doesn't really apply since I only ever figure people will read and review when they have the chance. I know how much work and life will take over things so I'm understanding of that definitely. And I post new stories the same amount of days that I post chapters, on the fourth day after so hopefully that might help though if you were busy then that explains why you didn't catch it. But you have now so it works out! It was so nice to see you think my stories are remarkable for showing Castle and Beckett together as they should have been and always of course; it's why I'm still going since to me I believe we got fleeced with their relationship on the show in the end to show there was so much more to them than what we got. And you got what I thought they should have always been, equals in both work and their love for each other since it was supposed to be strong. But I'm definitely glad to see that you see them growing together in both their love for each other and for their family. You put it best what I wanted with them, not stagnant but changing and also taking on those changes and challenges as you put it so they can grow. They were supposed to have that and I want to make sure they do in my stories. And of course, a great compliment for me to see that you think I write them real since that's definitely a goal! I'm glad you love that I show their passion for one another that also grows stronger since I enjoy writing that immensely. And glad you think they have an eternal flame for one another along with their family, figured with everything they've gone through things would be that way. You're very welcome for sharing my stories, I do enjoy doing it. And it'll always be Caskett and their family, forever, definitely! Again you're welcome; wanted to acknowledge the second thank you; and hope you'll enjoy the story as you make your way through it!),  
TORONTOSUN (I was really happy to read that you thought it was interesting that everyone was on the case in this one. And that you thought it was a nice twist since I did want this story to be different in that. I had to laugh a bit at you saying how Castle and Beckett can't stay out of cases, hard to see them stopping that, lol. But I'm glad that you still like the fact that they can't do that too!),  
MsNYC (Great that you could get all caught up with things and not surprised that the case caught you off guard and hit you with a ton of bricks as you put it. And of course, I'm really glad you are since that was my intention. Nice to see you're super excited too this early in the story. I can't quite say if there are hints of a baby but interesting to see your thoughts on that. I'm so pleased that you think Eliza starting to learn to dance is cute as I'd been wondering what readers would think of her doing that too so I was glad to see that! Glad you thought it was great writing as usual. And nice that you're going to go back to those chapters you mentioned to make sure you didn't miss anything but hope you'll enjoy this chapter too!) and  
vetgirlmx (I was pleased to read first off that I could surprise you with where the victim was from. But you're right, that incident was way back so not surprised you didn't think of that being a connection to Castle, Beckett and Skye. And great you liked the idea of them staying in contact with the rest of the passengers from the flight- that other survivor's club is real and I thought it was cool they did that since they shared that even of course. And glad you think it's too bad the one who organized the parties for their club was the vic. I admit I had to laugh at how you questioned if he was the first victim but you'll have to see what else, if anything there might be of course, lol. And great you're glad that Detective Burke was with them again, I debated on sticking with him but decided I enjoyed writing him so much that I had to go with him again, so I'm happy you liked him too! Interesting to see your comments on the phase you think they're in but I can see why you'd think that. And great of course to see you can't wait to see if they'll find anything and now you don't need to wait for that anymore!).  
Thanks so much for the reviews, loved reading them all and of course appreciate the time taken to write them out and send them to me!

A/N #2: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song _Beware My Love_ by Paul and Linda McCartney, from the Wings album _Wings at the Speed of Sound_.

That He's The One

"Scott's law firm is over there," Fernandez said to the group as they reached where she was standing.

Looking to the building across the street and slightly north of where they were standing Burke said, "Did anyone see him make his way to the alley you found?"

"No but there are security cameras on this street," Fernandez said. "The footage is being sent as we speak to the station. It's this way."

Very shortly after they'd started to walk the detective turned to her right and the others followed her before they walked down the alley.

"Right there," Fernandez said, pointing to a blemish on the wall.

"You took the bullet out?" Burke asked.

"Wait, wait," Skye said. "Did you find out where he was shot on his body exactly?"

"Around here," Burke said as he looked at the autopsy report he'd gotten just before they'd left the station.

"Warning shot?" Castle asked as he saw where it was exactly. "That would mean a silencer."

"Likely it was a silencer," Burke commented.

"There weren't any calls to 911," Mary said.

"Right," Burke said, looking at the hole. "Let me see the bullet."

Looking on as the detective took the bag with the bullet in it from a CSU member Beckett said, "No blood."

"Here," Burke said, handing over a flashlight he had in his pocket.

"I have one," Beckett replied, taking her phone out of her pocket. She turned on her flashlight app and shone it over the hole. "No, no blood so that must have been either a warning shot or the vic managed to keep him from shooting him point blank."

"That latter one works," Skye said. "He manages to grab the wrist of his killer, moving it away so he shoots the wall."

"He maybe manages to get him off balance," Beckett continued. "Which gives the vic a chance to run off the street and to a taxi but the killer still manages to hit him."

"Any blood?" Skye asked.

"There, at the right-hand corner near the start of the alley," Fernandez replied. "The vic was a fast runner considering from here to the sidewalk is a little far."

"Could have been adrenaline," Castle said. "Or-"

"Or the killer was able to recover enough to run after him and shot him before he got out of range," Beckett interrupted him.

"He may have been far enough for no one to notice but the killer didn't want him to make it out actually onto the sidewalk," Burke said. "And since the bullet was a .22 then the killer was out of luck."

"It wasn't a through and through wound," Mary commented as she'd remained where they'd been standing next to the bullet hole. "So no one would have noticed him bleeding at the beginning likely."

"From what I was told by North Mission Road," Burke said, looking at his partner though he was addressing everyone. "That he bled into the wound; little blood."

Castle glanced at his wife; as she'd told him what the doctor operating on her gunshot wound had said happened during the surgery; and wasn't surprised when she turned away from them. He was about to go over to her when she turned back around and spoke, making him pause.

"He was turned," Beckett said, reminding them of the mark the pathologist had made on the figure of the body. "So at that angle he staggered but got up again."

"He was intent on getting to us to warn us," Skye took up, looking at her friend in slight concern. "So he soldiered on. But why couldn't Pablo have told someone… the cab driver?"

"He's inside the firm," Fernandez said as they looked to her.

"What did he tell you?" Burke asked, knowing his partner would have talked to the driver immediately.

"What I told you," Fernandez reminded him. "That after he was told the address the vic didn't really talk to him. He just favored the side he was shot on."

"No groans of pain or anything?" Castle asked her. At the shake of her head he then said, "So he was just focused on the note."

"What has the firm said to you?" Burke asked as he went to the end of the alley and then looked around the street.

"That they didn't notice anything different about the vic," Fernandez replied. "And he was doing fine with the case he had at the moment."

"Did they tell you anything about the case?" Castle asked her.

"No, they said they couldn't because of client confidentiality," Fernandez said.

At the look the woman was giving him Castle explained, "There was a hope."

"I'm wondering," Skye said then, getting their attention. "About this. We seem to have forgotten the burns he suffered."

"They were minor though," Fernandez said. "And there's little evidence of a fire besides that scorch mark."

"Do you think he could have set the killer on fire?" Castle said.

"He's right," a woman said, walking up to them.

"You're Fire Investigator Adelaide Parra?" Burke asked as he held out his hand to her.

"I am, Detectives," Parra said before looking at the four standing around who obviously weren't with the police or CSU. "I was notified there might be a fire but I'm not really seeing that."

"But there was a fire of some sort," Skye said to her. When the woman looked at her she said, "I'm an NTSB Investigator; I've seen my share of fires."

"A fire on a plane and-" Parra started to say.

"I get the gist of it and that's also why you're here," Skye replied easily though she was looking at the investigator closely. "I'm making an observation it's up to you if it's something we should make note of."

Parra hesitated for a moment before she nodded and said, though she didn't stop looking at Skye, "Considering the pattern of this it looks like a heavy fabric may have been on fire and thrown against the wall. If you look at the ground you'll see some scorching too but very faint."

"The fire was put out here," Skye said.

"Most likely," Parra said. "Do you need me to take any pictures?"

"Not unless you need to yourself," Fernandez replied, wondering at the way the investigator seemed to just stare at Skye.

"I do, I'll have to write a report on this even though I don't see the need for an investigation just yet," Parra replied.

"If we find a reason for it we'll call you again," Fernandez said.

"Okay," Burke said after they'd watched the Fire Investigator finish with her photographs and walk away. "Are you all wrapped up here?"

"Yeah, I've gotten everything I could," Fernandez replied. She nodded over to the CSU workers in the alley and said, "They're done. Did you see the three names?"

"I did, I was going to take them over to the safe house and talk to Xavier," Burke answered.

"All of them?" Fernandez asked as they watched CSU pass them.

"No, just Skye, Castle and Beckett," Burke said, looking at them and seeing they were all nodding. "You're not going to join us?"

"No, I figure I'll get what I got set and see what's come in back at the station," Fernandez replied. "I'll call."

"So will I," Burke replied. His partner left them then and he turned to the four who were still watching him. "I'm guessing you guys are ready to go?"

"You're not going to head into the law firm?" Mary replied.

"Oh no," Burke said. "They've talked to the police once, twice would make them suspicious. Plus I know Fernandez; she'd ask them everything that needs to be."

"We'll follow you," Skye said before she was walking with her wife, Castle and Beckett to the car.

"I wonder if we shouldn't have gone in your car," Castle told the investigator as they were driving again.

"We were further from it," Skye said simply. "But you know I have to wonder about the other two names we got from the cases."

"I bet Fernandez is going to speak to them; she'll see them first," Mary told her.

"Would it be a good idea for her to do that without Corey?" Skye asked Beckett.

"If she's good she shouldn't have a problem," Beckett said.

"I'm not sure," Skye said, knowing she was asking about though it wasn't said outright. "But Corey knows she might be doing that going back so if he wanted to protest it he would have."

"I love how he has so much faith in the two of you," Castle commented after they were silent for a moment.

"He's worked with us," Beckett replied.

"Yet not officially," Castle said quickly in response.

"He knows me remember," Skye told him. "And Kate… I may have told him about when you were investigating my stalker back in NYC."

"Then at least it's not a false assumption," Castle told his wife, not surprised when she rolled her eyes.

"Nice choice for the safe house," Beckett commented as Skye was parking against the curb since Burke ahead of them had done so already.

"It's converted," Skye said with a smile.

"When were you ever here?" Castle asked.

"A colleague when I first started here was placed here for protection," Skye answered easily. "I came out to see them and speak with them. It works as I nearly drove right past it the first time."

"Okay, they're being separated at the moment so we'll just go straight to Xavier," Burke said once they had reached him at the path leading up to the building that looked like it housed offices.

"And you're sure you just want the two of us with you?" Skye asked him. "Or even me."

"Again Skye, I'm sure," Burke replied, pressing a code at the door. He held it open for everyone, looking around the area to make sure no one was acting suspiciously.

"Detective Burke," the officer inside said once he was walking up to the desk he was sitting behind.

"Did you get Xavier in the living room?" Burke asked the officer. At the man's nod he then said, "These two will stay here; I'm going to go ahead with Skye and Ms. Beckett to interview him."

Following the man Beckett looked behind her at Castle before she looked ahead of him and said to the detective, "Just so you know my husband-"

"I'm aware; I'm looking at an angle of two women," Burke said. "That's not me being… creepy just-"

"I've done that myself," Skye said simply. She glanced at Beckett and said, "It was always just you."

"It was but things worked out in the end," she said. They had come to a door so Beckett couldn't continue and instead looked inside the room as Burke opened it.

"Mr. Xavier?" the detective said.

"Yeah, are we being let out?" the man said, standing up.

"No, we're here to speak with you," Burke replied. "Please, have a seat," he told the man before the three of them were following his example.

"What's going on exactly?" Xavier asked. "I was told that we were in danger but I'm the only one here in this room, aren't I?"

"Are you a member of the 13R Club?" Burke asked him.

"Yeah, so are they," Xavier replied. "You guys heard about the party? You weren't supposed to," he said, directing the last to Beckett.

"We've heard," Skye answered first.

"So… wait, was someone in the club killed?" Xavier asked, sounding slightly panicked.

"I'm afraid so, Pablo S-" Burke was going to say.

"No, not Pablo," Xavier interrupted him. "No…" When Burke just nodded he sighed heavily and then buried his face in his hands. "What happened?" he finally asked when he raised his head, blinking a little furiously.

"He was murdered," Burke said. "And that's all I can tell you at this moment since it's an ongoing investigation."

"Well if you're going to ask I haven't heard from him since June; I went on vacation to Argentina over the summer with some friends," Xavier said. "And I was out of touch with a lot of people during then."

"Okay," Burke said, writing that down on his notepad. "What about today?"

"Today?" Xavier repeated.

"Where were you between eleven and two?" Burke replied.

"I was at work," Xavier replied. "Until I was pulled out by the officer out there."

"Okay," Burke said.

"You don't think I did anything, do you?" Xavier asked as he was watching Burke write down a few things again.

"You once tried to sue Pablo," Beckett said first as she knew what Burke was doing with that.

"That was a long time ago," Xavier said defensibly. "And I stopped hating him for no reason. That flight changed my life… trying to sue him seemed pointless."

Studying the man's obvious emotion Beckett looked over at Skye, seeing her studying the man as well. She had to wonder what she was getting from him and waited for her to say anything.

"You wouldn't have any reason to want to hurt him would you," the investigator told him.

"No," Xavier said vehemently. "But you know who you should talk to?" When he saw the questioning look on their faces he told them, "This guy who was at his office back in June before I left. We decided to have lunch as he wanted to talk to me about the club. I thought he was going to start another party and I thought great. But when I got to his office to meet him there was someone arguing with him; a guy."

"Could you hear what they were arguing about?" Burke asked.

"I heard something about money and transfers; I guessed it had to do with a bank," Xavier said. "After that the guy walked out and left so I went inside. I tried to ask him what was going on but he wouldn't say, just called it a financial matter that was almost fixed so he wasn't concerned about it too much."

Sharing a look with Skye then Beckett took her phone out of her pocket and opened a picture before asking, "Was it this man?"

"I… no," Xavier replied, studying the screen for a moment.

"What about him?" Beckett asked, sliding her finger over the screen.

"Yeah that's him, exactly," Xavier said, nodding his head rapidly.

"Okay," Burke said, seeing the picture. "And the argument was heated?"

"Well, not a shouting match but it was getting on its way there," Xavier replied.

"What stopped it?" Beckett asked.

Thinking about that for a moment Xavier finally said, "Something about that Pablo couldn't do it… something about it going against what things stood for…? I think, I'm honestly not sure about it."

"Alright, thank you for your cooperation," Burke told him.

"Could… can I go?" Xavier asked.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," the detective replied. "You need to stay here for the time being."

"So… I'm in danger," Xavier said.

"I'm afraid so but you're safe here," Burke said. "We're doing everything we can to make sure you can leave though," he said as he stood, Beckett and Skye doing the same.

"You're-" Xavier started to say. He was cut off when the detective shook his hand and he was silent, watching the three leave the room, sitting heavily in a chair as the door closed behind them.

"Well?" Castle asked as he and Mary stood up at the sight of them.

"He's not our guy," Beckett said, watching the detective talking to the officer. "He's checking the alibi Xavier has."

"You found that out quickly," Mary said.

"He was able to figure things out, mainly that Burke thought he was suspect," Skye commented.

"What's wrong?" Castle asked, studying her as his wife and Mary were doing.

"I wonder about the cousin," Skye replied. "We have an alibi for the two men; a meeting."

"Yeah that sounded weird," Beckett said. "Though I wonder if I should have shown him the picture."

"It doesn't matter," Burke said as he reached them. "Xavier's cleared; Officer Rowan says that he was there at the office and his secretary; plus the guard for the building; said he never left and the second exit to the building had an alarm. But there's the matter of the cousin."

"How were the vic's financials?" Castle asked him.

"Alright I didn't see anything that really stood out to me," Burke answered. "I should go back to June which I can do once we go to the station."

"You're not going to go back yet?" Mary asked him.

"You want us to talk to them all," Castle said before Burke could say anything.

"Two by two," the detective replied. "And not as suspects."

"We realized," Skye and Beckett said at the same time.

"Actually," Burke said, looking at the two closely. "I'd like the two of you to go together; think you two will be alright-"

"We'll go with our wives," Mary said, motioning between herself and Castle.

"Alright, they're in rooms one through five; Xavier was in six," Burke told them. "Talk to them in the room, I'll take the last two rooms."

With that the four split up and they went over to the stairs, heading up so they could reach the bedrooms where the others on the list were. Skye and Mary went to the first room and Castle and Beckett went to room two, the former knocking on the door before they waited for the person inside to open it or call them in.

"Wait," Beckett said suddenly. "Burke this is ridiculous," she directed to the detective. She then knocked on the door harder and said to the woman inside, "Hello we need you to come down to the living room with us."

"Why?" the woman asked, startled though she had soon recognized Castle and Beckett from the flight.

"We'll tell you down there," Castle said before he followed his wife over to the fourth room. He went past her to the fifth and knocked on the door before everyone was outside and going to the stairs.

"Alright," Burke said as he closed the living room door behind him, glancing at Beckett briefly.

"Are you going to tell us why we're here now?" a man with his wife asked.

"Yes," Burke said.

"You recognize that we all have something in common," Skye said. "Except for Detective Burke."

"And your wife," one of the women said. "We're all from Flight 139 and in the club too."

"And we all live here except for the two of you," another man said to Castle and Beckett.

Skye glanced at Burke and when he nodded to her she looked back to the others saying, "This morning Pablo Scott was killed-" interrupted when the others; except for Xavier; exclaimed in surprise. "He was carrying a note on him which had pictures of all of you."

"And that's it?" one of the women asked. "How do you know-"

"I don't think it's a good idea to risk it," a man said to her. "Look at what happened to Pablo."

"And I saw the note," Skye told them. "And I know Pablo's handwriting; it wasn't his."

"So the note said something," the same man said, frowning at her.

"It just said the Club," Burke said as his friend looked at him.

"You weren't on the list though," a woman said.

"No," Skye replied.

Before the investigator could say something else the woman told her, "Likely because you saved us."

Before Skye could protest the praise in that Beckett said, "We brought you here all together because we're trying to find other similarities you might have."

"You think the killer targeted us for that?" another man said.

"Do you all know each other?" Castle asked them.

"Sure," a woman said. She looked at Burke and said, "I'm Lucille Worth."

"I'm Ted Cornish," another man said. "This is my wife Lola; she wasn't on the flight though we were at home together."

"Obek Phillips," another man added.

"Harriet Mulligan," the second woman said.

"Simone Molineux," the third woman said.

"Okay," Burke said since that was the last of them. "You all live here in Southern California and did you at the time of the flight?" When they all nodded their heads he then said, "Have you noticed anything odd lately in your lives; not dealing with each other, Mr. Scott or the club."

Not surprised when they all shook their heads again Beckett said, "Then there's something else that connects all of you."

"Two of us are doctors," Phillips said, pointing to Mulligan.

"And three of us live in Studio City," Mulligan said pointing to herself, Cornish and Molineux.

"Are you in contact via e-mail that often?" Skye asked.

"We are, we were seated together at that first party we had with everyone on the flight so we exchanged e-mail addresses," Xavier said first. "I should have told you."

"You didn't know we were looking for a reason why you were all grouped together," Mary said.

"Skye?" Beckett asked, startled when the investigator suddenly stepped over to the door.

"I know why they were all on that list," Skye replied, motioning rapidly.

"Wait, what about us?" Cornish asked as Burke and Castle were the last to the door.

"You're all at risk from the killer; you need to stay here under our protection until we find him," Burke answered easily.

"What's-" Castle started to ask once he and the detective had reached the three women at the entrance.

"Skye, what's going on?" Burke asked before the writer could finish speaking.

"It does have to do with the flight," the investigator replied. "All of them; including me," she added, motioning to herself.

"You live here," Mary said.

"That simple?" Burke said incredulously.

"Yes, that simple," Skye said.

"I don't know," Burke replied, looking at Beckett. "There were a lot of people on that plane."

"Oh, there were," Mary said then, placing her hand on her wife's arm. "But he could have chosen any of them. Why the six of them?"

"Seven," Skye added quickly.

"Seven," Burke said.

Sensing that he was breaking down Skye then said, "And another thing-"

"The killer's an arsonist," Beckett interrupted, gaining the surprised stares of the others as soon as she'd spoken.

* * *

"I have to ask," Skye murmured as she came to stand next to Beckett. "How did you know?"

"I had the same idea as you," she replied, turning to look at her friend. "What if the killer had intended to set Pablo on fire? But since he got away before that could work…"

"There isn't all that much evidence to prove that," Castle said, walking up to them. "But I like the idea better than Pablo just suddenly trying to set his killer on fire." When the two women just looked at him he said, "It doesn't make any sense."

"No, it does," Burke said as he walked inside with Fernandez and Mary. "I finally got a hold of his juvie record."

"He had one?" Beckett asked.

"I didn't mention it as I wasn't sure what we'd have," Burke said. "But we got it and you're going to be interested in this," he said, putting the paper in his hand in Skye's.

"Arson?" Beckett said, reading that first.

"Attempted arson," Burke replied. "So it looks like he may have been legitimately trying to set the killer on fire; it was what he knew." He looked on as Skye exchanged looks with Beckett and Castle and said, "What?"

Handing the paper to Beckett, Skye stood and went to the detective telling him, "Do you have the file? Or just the summary?"

"I have the file," Parra said, walking in them. "Detectives," she said, handing the thick one in her hand to Fernandez.

"I think we can guess the details," Beckett said. "His statement he was not involved and was trying to stop the fire; whatever it was."

"She's right," Burke said with a frown. "He was with his friends at the age of ten and they were trying to set a barn on fire but were caught. Scott said that he tried to stop them but he was still convicted; he was sentenced to a year of house arrest."

"And the friends?" Castle asked.

"They're all outside the state now," Fernandez said. "But I can track them down," she told her partner before leaving to go into their office.

"Corey-" Skye started to say.

"No, I can't-" Burke began.

"I have to agree with her," Parra said to interrupt their conversation. "The scenario he gives in his statement goes along with the photographs of the scene."

Looking at them as Burke handed them to Skye he said, "So what does this mean for the case?"

"It means-" Skye and Parra said at the same time before they stopped and looked at each other.

Looking at Mary to see her reaction, Beckett wasn't surprised to see the unhappy expression on her face before she quickly said, "It means that the killer knew about this case and tried to use it as a possible reason for suicide."

"Suicide," Burke said in disbelief.

"A warped way to make it look as if he was trying to kill himself," Castle commented. "I think he was the target."

"No," Skye said firmly. She glanced to Beckett and wasn't surprised to see her look doubtful at her protest before she then said, "This was just a means to stop your investigation. He was supposed to be in that alley; near his firm; suicide perhaps or else you just weren't supposed to find the killer."  
"It looks like your victim spoiled his plans," Parra commented. "You may be right about the deflected fire. That would account for the scorch marks that were there. Did CSU find any matches or lighters?"

"No," Burke said. "Nothing that would start a fire and not much that applied to the attack on Scott."

"Then it was likely a lighter," Parra said. "And it's your killer's."

"Unless it was Scott's, was he a smoker?" Burke asked Skye and Mary. When they shook their heads, he breathed out heavily and said, "Alright, then we'll add that to the board. But-"

"I just realized what it is about these people that has them on the list," Skye suddenly said. "Not the flight," she said, going to the murder board and erasing the question about what grouped the people on the list.

Watching her write Beckett said, "First class?"

"All of them were in first class on that flight," Skye said, setting down the marker on the tray. "Don't say it was coincidence," she said to Burke. "Because Cornish was almost going to go Business class, he just changed his mind at the last minute."

"So then there's something about California," Fernandez said, having come back at that moment. "Two of his friends in the file had passed, the one I tried to talk to just now is in jail in Arizona."

"He didn't want to talk to you?" Castle asked.

"He refused," Fernandez replied. "So I don't know anymore about the crime back when the vic was ten than we saw in the file."

"Alright," Skye said. "It's not California by the way," she said quickly to the detective. "It's something with first class…"

"So someone from Business?" Mary suggested.

Sighing heavily Skye nodded and said, "It could be but at this point we need to look at everyone who was on that plane; including the three of us."


	15. That He's The One (Part 2)

"Should we be happy we're let out so soon," Mary was saying to her wife as they were approaching the rental car.

"Since we were briefly suspects it's not a surprise," Beckett told the two women as she climbed into the back seat with Castle. "What are you going to do now?"

"We can make dinner instead of catering now," Mary answered.

"She's right, something huge since there'll be ten of us," Skye said.

"Ten?" Castle asked, looking ahead at the two.

"My band, our guitarist's husband and two… I suppose you'd call them groupies but they just help out if we need them to during any performances. They're friends," Skye replied.

"What about your daughters?" Beckett asked, realizing the two were supposed to be out from school by then.

"They're over at friends' homes," Mary said. "They'll spend the night."

"What about tomorrow; it's Saturday," Castle said.

"They'll stay, we talked to the parents and they'll take care of them for us," Skye said. "So we're set. I'll get us to my car and Mary and I will go to the market. I should give you the opener-"

"We'll go with you," Castle interrupted. When Mary looked over her shoulder at him and Skye glanced in the mirror he told them, "I'm interested to see what you do for that many people."

With a slight laugh Skye nodded and soon brought them into Santa Monica. She got out with Mary outside the structure by the Promenade and said to them, "I'll be along, just follow me," before she and her wife went inside.

"That's all they can do now?" Castle asked his wife as soon as they were both in the front of the car.

"It does sound likely that it's someone on the plane," Beckett replied. "I'm just not sure about it…"

"Is that because we're not involved anymore today?" Castle said.

"Remember what I said about us briefly being suspects," Beckett reminded him. "There's Skye," she said before her husband could speak. She watched her husband follow the car over to a market, surprised when they needed to park on the curb. "And really did you want to stay and search names?"

"No but I wasn't sure about you," Castle replied.

"Believe me," Beckett said with a smile. "I've done that enough as a detective myself and this is the LAPD-"

"Oh, you just want to see the rehearsal tonight," Castle said jokingly, interrupting her.

With a smile Beckett merely looked over at Skye and said, "What are you going to make?"

"A Swedish meatball casserole thing," Mary answered instead.

"Thing?" Castle asked as they were walking into the store.

"I don't know what you call it, I've made it before though and everyone seems to like it," Mary replied.

"We do, stop fishing for compliments," Skye said before she laughed as her wife playfully pushed her aside. "I'm going to get some fruit for dessert."

"I'll join you," Beckett said before she followed the investigator over to the produce.

"Can I help you?" Skye asked after picking out a plastic bag next to some apples.

"Yes, what's going on with Parra?" Beckett asked bluntly, knowing her friend wouldn't mind.

"I don't know," Skye said honestly before she let out a sigh. "I guess she's attracted to me but trust me I don't feel the same for her."

"No?" Beckett said. When Skye shot her an angry look she held up her hands and said, "I'm just wondering."

"She's attractive," the investigator finally admitted. "But she's not what I want."

"Mary's okay now right?" Beckett then asked.

"You noticed that too?" Skye asked with a slight smile.

"It was hard not to," Beckett said.

"We talked about that driving here, we're hoping she won't be there for the whole case," Skye said. "So we're fine." When there was no response from her friend she then looked at her and asked, "Alright?"

"Yeah," Beckett said quickly. "I'm wondering about one thing you've never told me." Seeing the questioning expression on her friend's face she told her, "When you and Mary talked about dating; in the sense that you were going to."

"You want to hear about that?" Skye asked in surprise.

"Yes," Beckett told her firmly.

"Okay," Skye said, breathing a little hard. "It was about… three months after I had stopped seeing her as my psychiatrist and my dad had brought her out to see me at the café table I had near the vegetable garden I had in a different spot from where it is today."

* * *

 _"Someone to see you lass," Liam said as he walked over to the table that his daughter was sitting at._

 _"I thought I was finished with sessions," Skye said when she looked up from her book but saw that Dr. Collins was with him._

* * *

"Collins?" Beckett asked in surprise.

"That was her name- we never told you it before," Skye said, suddenly smiling. "But wait, didn't you see that in our papers when you were looking into her?"

"I think I forgot; I'm used to her as Mary McDouglas," Beckett said after thinking that over for a moment. "Why did she change her name?"

Pausing for a moment in picking out peaches Skye finally said, "She didn't mind being a Collins; you know she's related to Michael Collins, right?"

"The same soldier?" Beckett asked, startled.

"Distantly; a cousin; but she's related to him," Skye replied with a nod. "Anyway, she told me she loved me in the end, enough to make sure our children knew their mothers were married… At least that's what she told me."

"Don't worry," Beckett said with a smile. "I think I get what she meant, she wanted you to be more officially a family. With your last names all the same I mean."

"Exactly," Skye said, nodding her head. "Anyways, I wasn't sure if I could protest her visit… I was more like a deer caught in the headlights at that moment," a slight smile appearing briefly on her face.

* * *

 _"So what's the visit for?" Skye asked as Mary sat down at her gesture._

 _"I thought you might like some company after the investigation you had," Mary said simply._

 _"You heard about it?" Skye asked, pouring another cup of tea._

 _"I did, I kept up on it," Mary said. "It sounded rough."_

 _"It was, there were a number of kids on this one," Skye said with a frown as she placed her head on her fist, looking down at the ground._

 _"I'm sorry," Mary replied._

 _Shaking her head Skye didn't reply to that, still looking at the ground until a loud noise made her jump and look up. "What are you doing?" she asked, her eyes wide as the doctor came around to place her chair next to her._

 _"Listen," Mary said, taking her hand. She paused there, watching the investigator closely to make sure that she didn't pull away or protest. When she was silent she eventually told her, "I've missed talking with you these past three months."_

 _"Well," Skye said, suddenly feeling like her mouth was parched but not wanting to move to grab her cup of tea. "That's the life of an investigator. I can get called at a second's notice and be gone for a while."_

 _"I know, Liam told me," Mary said simply with a smile. "And it understandable you do very important work."_

 _Her cheeks burning Skye murmured a thanks to her before she said, "Now I'm back so we can just… talk again."_

 _"I'd like more than that," Mary said bluntly after studying the investigator for a moment._

 _Breathing out hard Skye said, "I don't think-" Before she could say anything else Mary was leaning over and kissing her, very gently on the lips, before sitting back._

* * *

"Your first kiss was then?" Beckett said in surprise, closing the bag of nectarines Skye had picked out.

"Very brief but yes, it was then," the investigator replied with a smile. "And it shut up my protests… for a second."

* * *

 _"I- you…" Skye tried to say as she looked at the doctor with wide eyes. "Are you sure?"_

 _Laughing slightly Mary said, "I wouldn't have kissed you like that if I wasn't. Was that your first?" The investigator just looked at her and she couldn't help herself, leaning over and brushing her lips to hers once more. "A little better," she said teasingly. "At least you responded."_

 _Wondering if her face was going to burst into flames Skye tried to speak but had to pause, clearing her throat before she attempted it again. "So, you want to go out?" she asked._

 _"Date," Mary said gently. "And yes, I've been wanting to for… I've wanted to."_

 _Surprised at the way her voice had trailed off then Skye said, "For how long exactly?"_

 _For a moment Mary didn't answer before she finally let out a sigh and said, "At least a month after you first came to see me."_

 _"Oh," Skye said slowly. She shifted a little and suddenly realized that Mary was still holding her hand before she told her, "I'm glad you asked."_

 _"Are you?" Mary asked._

 _With the tone of the doctor's voice Skye looked at her and said, "If I wasn't I would have protested… or would've shoved you away."_

 _"I'll take that as a good sign," Mary said. "So… where would you like to go?"_

 _"Are we going to have one of those discussions already?" Skye asked with a genuine smile._

 _"No," Mary replied, smiling back at her. She looked down at their still joined hands and then said, "But we have to decide something."  
"Come here," Skye blurted out. She smiled when Mary looked at her in surprise and she told her, "I'll make dinner for us. And don't worry," she hurried to say when the doctor opened her mouth to speak. "I don't mind doing that."_

 _"Then that sounds nice," Mary replied. "I'll bring some movies for after."_

 _"Great," Skye said before she suddenly leaned over and kissed the doctor. When she sat back in her chair again she said, "My first time giving a girl a kiss."_

 _"You did a great job," Mary said. She smiled at the investigator again before they both grew serious and she then leaned in to her, letting go of her hand finally to cup her cheek before they kissed._

* * *

"I should have stopped there," Skye said in embarrassment.

"I don't think she cares," Mary said, smiling at her wife and Beckett as they looked at her. "And really we started there… meaning that we stopped dancing around each other and got started."

"Or together," Skye said, going to her wife. "Got the pasta yet?"

"We'll meet you at the registers," Mary said to the two.

"So what was the rest of the story?" Castle asked his wife as they watched the two women. "I only heard the end with them kissing. Their first kiss?"

Beckett smiled at his curiosity and told him the story that Skye had said to him and then told him what Skye had said. "It's a sweet story," she said when she'd finished.

"And that mirrors our first date," Castle commented.

"I think Skye wanted to wait before they went out… out," Beckett said. "If that makes sense."

"It does," Castle said. He became thoughtful and when his wife asked him what he was thinking he told her, "I might have suggested we do the same even if we didn't need to worry about being public."

"I thought the same myself," Beckett said with a nod and a smile. "Come on, let's grab some drinks."

"They don't have wine?" Castle asked.

"She doesn't drink when they play," Beckett explained. "Neither does Mary or anyone in the band."

"I'm so eager for this performance," Castle said.

"Rehearsal," Beckett corrected him with a smile.

"Right, that," Castle said as they went to the registers to wait for the two women to reach them. He glanced down the aisle they were in front of and realized they'd managed to catch sight of the couple parting from a kiss. "Interesting," he said as he saw his wife had caught sight of it as well.

"It's not like we haven't done that ourselves at the market back at home," Beckett said simply. She smiled when her husband looked at her and she squeezed his hand before they looked together down the aisle again and saw the two women coming over to them. "Ready?" she asked them.

"Ready," Skye said simply. She and Mary paid for the items before they went out to the cars and she let Castle help her wife load the trunk. "We're going to get started on cooking right now since we do some warm ups before we eat with the band," she said, looking at Beckett as she spoke though directing that to both her and Castle.

"What do you mean warm ups?" he asked, looking at the investigator.

Smiling Skye said, "You'll see when we're doing them."

"Now I have to know," Castle told his wife.

"No surprise there," Beckett said wryly before she pulled him to their car. "We'll see you at the house." She drove that time after the other car and once they were inside the gate at the garage she said to her husband, "Leave her alone about that."

"Great, that means I can bother Mary," Castle said, pretending to rush to get out of the car. He smiled at his wife as she glared at him over the roof and then said to Skye and Mary, "We're going to drop off our things really quick. We'll meet you inside after."

When the two waved to them Beckett went over to the guest house with her husband, startled when her phone rang with a text. "It's Julia," she said as he was looking at her.

"Is she okay?" Castle asked, startled as she hadn't given any indication Julia would contact them at nearly ten thirty East Coast time.

"She is, this is something else," Beckett said before she became thoughtful. "Something she's uneasy about." She dialed their daughter's phone and put it on speaker asking, "Hey sweetie, what's wrong?"

"I'm okay Mommy," Julia said. "Can we talk on the tablet?"

"Sure," Beckett said, looking at Castle who was still next to her.

"Julia, we just got to the guest house to put away our suitcase," he said to the phone. "I'm going to do that right now and then leave, night sweetheart. I still love you."

Laughing softly Julia said, "I still love you too Daddy, bye."

Beckett waited for her husband to go upstairs before he came back downstairs and then kissed her cheek before he left. "Let me get my tablet ready," she directed to her daughter. She was able to do that quickly and as soon as she saw her daughter she said, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I just… I'm kinda scared about the Paso," Julia said.

"Dancing it with Mari?" Beckett asked.

"Oh, no," Julia said rapidly. "No, I'm just scared for Mari… what if someone says something to her? Something mean?"

"I don't think they will," Beckett replied easily. "We saw how you were dancing together and it was very nice; a little like two Flamenco dancers."

"Really?" Julia asked with a smile.

"Yes, you don't need to worry sweetie," Beckett said. "Also, I think that Mari is tougher than you think."  
"Yeah," Julia said slowly. "Sorry I was just… I've wanted to dance with her ever since I started showing her the dance steps."

"I understand," Beckett assured her. "But just focus with her on learning the dance and you'll do great."

"Yep… can she spend the night tomorrow?" Julia then asked.

"If her parents say it's fine," Beckett replied.

"You're not working on the case anymore?" Julia asked when she remembered that her mother had said she was at the guest house with Castle.

"Not now, the detectives sent us home because they're just looking at names," Beckett replied.

"You could have helped though," Julia replied.

"We could have but we had to be looked at too so we were cleared," Beckett said.

"But… you couldn't have done it," Julia said, surprised.

"No but I told you the police need to make sure," Beckett replied.

"Yeah well at least you can have dinner… somewhere," Julia said.

"That reminds me," Beckett said. "Tomorrow morning look for a movie from your daddy or me on your phone."

"A video of what?" Julia asked interestedly.

"You'll see then," Beckett replied easily. "Now you need to go to bed; it's incredibly late for you."

Though she wanted to protest Julia knew that she couldn't and instead said, "Okay but promise you'll send that video."

"We will," Beckett promised. "Goodnight Julia, I love you."

"Night Mommy I love you too," the girl replied, waving to her mother.

Turning off her tablet Beckett set it down on the coffee table before standing to put her phone away in her pocket. Once that was done she went to the door, a little startled to find her husband on the other side.

"Is she okay?" Castle asked. "I wasn't here waiting the whole time by the way."

Beckett smiled; because she was aware he hadn't been; and then told him what she and their oldest had talked about as they made their way up to the house. "So she's more concerned for Mari to do well. Not for their performance but because this is her first time performing to an audience," she finished with.

"That's our girl," Castle said. "Well, that and Mari being her best friend."

"Exactly," Beckett said with a smile before they entered the kitchen. "Hey, how're things going?"

"Good, moving along," Skye said. She looked at Beckett as she came up to her and said, "Sit, you're not doing anything."

"We could set the table later," Castle said.

"Maybe," Mary said from the other end of the island.

"What kept you from joining us?" Skye asked once the two were sitting at the chairs at the end of the island next to her.

"You didn't tell them?" Beckett asked her husband in surprise.

"He just said it was Julia," Mary said.

Beckett glanced at Castle but then focused on telling the women what she'd talked about with Mari and ended by saying, "She's a good friend."

"A great friend," Skye said, cutting off the rinds of the pineapples she'd picked out. "Especially if she's not concerned with placing."

"She's gotten first and second," Castle said. "So I don't think it'd bother her to not place this time around."

"I think she's telling herself to expect it," Beckett said. "Not because of Mari but because of the number of dances." When her husband looked at her in surprise she said, "I guessed, what else would worry her."

"She didn't tell you what dances there would be?" Mary asked.

"No but that's alright, we'll ask tomorrow," Beckett said. "Oh, and she also asked about the case."

"Funny they're so interested in your work," Skye commented, cutting up the pineapple then. "Think they might try to consult with you?"

"Maybe," Castle said. "They're my daughters so it's bound to happen." He saw the two women glancing at each other and he began defensively, "I still-"

"You misinterpret our look," Mary interrupted. "We think it's sweet you talk that way."

"She's our daughter," Beckett said firmly. She then said to them, "What are you going to do between finishing and the band arriving?"

"We need to set up the table outside and then get our guitars," Skye said first.

"That you could help us with," Mary added with a smile.

"I'll help with guitars," Castle said, raising his hand playfully.

"You both can," Skye replied, jokingly rolling her eyes. She then set aside the pineapple before she began to build her fruit salad for dinner. As she was layering the fruit between tiers of Greek yogurt flavored with honey she said, "But I think we won't be called in for a while. Not with that list of names."

"No shop talk _grá_ ," Mary said as she set the large casserole into the oven. "We're off so let's enjoy things as they are."

"Alright," Skye said, looking to Castle and Beckett who nodded. "Let's get the table set," she said. And with that she put away the dessert before they then walked out to the patio where she picked up a side of the large table that was there.

"Just out in the grass?" Beckett asked as they were walking together to the side of the yard.

"Yeah, this is where you'll sit with the others while we jam," Mary said. They set the table down and then with a smile said, "Hopefully you'll still have fun. Oh, damn it."

"What," Skye asked as that curse had been said while her wife was looking at her.

"I forgot to get some wine out for these two… for Rick," Mary began to say before looking at Beckett.

"I'll pass," Castle replied. "No one else would drink it?" he then said as they went back to get the chairs.

"No, we stay sober as it's easier for them to hear any mistakes," Skye said.

"We can critique?" Beckett asked with a smile as she picked up a chair.

"Oh sure, it helps us learn," Skye answered.

With that the group began to take the rest of the chairs needed until ten were surrounding the table and they then made their way over to the office where Skye and Mary kept their guitars.

"So… mind telling us what you have?" Castle asked when he saw the stacks of guitar cases in the closet.

"Not a problem; should check they're in tune too love," Skye said to her wife, who nodded. "Okay," she said, taking out the first one. "This is my pride and joy, my Hofner 500/1," she told the two as she held it out to them. "Same year as Paul's, '63."

"How'd you get that?" Beckett said as she watched her husband taking the instrument almost reverently.

"A collector, cost me a bit but believe me it's worth it," Skye said.

"I've got a Rickenbacker here, 425," Mary said. "And so you know we have guitars that either Paul or George had at some point in their careers."

"They sound good," Skye said as she was opening her next guitar after having checked her Hofner. "This is my Rickenbacker 4001, a bass again but I'm… fairly good at it."

"You haven't seen her play yet but you'll know once she does that she's being modest," Mary said, smiling at her wife though she was speaking to Castle and Beckett.

"You'll see," Skye said, checking the tuning.

Seeing another Rickenbacker Beckett said, "That looks exactly like George's."

"It's close, a 360," Mary said. "They said they were going to recreate his 360-12 but it hasn't happened yet."  
"Are you getting one as soon as they do?" Castle asked her.

"If I can," Mary said before she looked with them at her wife who was taking out another guitar.

"Fender Jazz Bass; another one I got from a collector it's a '66," Skye told them before playing a few chords. "Alright, let's keep going I think what we took out we'll need most."

When Mary nodded the two women began to take out more guitars, acoustic and electric, before they got out some amps as well. With Castle and Beckett's help they took them out to the yard, setting them on another table before they began to set up the amps together.

"Question?" Castle said then when everything was set and they were making their way back to the kitchen. "Where's the drum going to go?"

"Just behind us," Mary said. "Believe us we've done this before."

"Alright," Skye said. "We've got to set the table now so…"

"It still needs to cook so I'll join you," Mary replied after looking at the oven. "Now Skye doesn't want to talk about the case while everyone's here and I know I said the same earlier," she said to the others as she was getting the plates to set on the island. "But I have to ask what will be Corey's next step? Well both him and Fernandez."

"The names; he has to look at everyone," Beckett replied. "Which you know already. Beyond that it's what he finds."

"Or doesn't find I hate to say," Skye said.

"At that point, I would advise him to look deeper at everyone in first class," Castle said.

"As targets," Beckett quickly explained as Mary was looking confused.

"Right," the doctor said. "Okay, now while we're going around the table you two need to tell us about something."

"Alright," Beckett said, glancing at her husband.

"Your first date," Skye said.

With a smile Castle looked at his wife before he then said, "We did the same that you two did but that was more out of necessity."

"We stayed in at my place and made dinner together," Beckett picked up. "Well," she then said as she looked at her husband. "I guess I was just watching him while he was cooking."

"It was payback for her making breakfast for me once," Castle commented.

"And yet you did that for me the year before," Beckett replied.

"Would you get to the bloody story?" Skye said to them in mock exasperation.

"What else is there to say?" Beckett said as she placed her hand on her husband's arm to keep him from speaking.

"She's right," Mary said to her wife. "What else do you want them to say _grá_?"

"I suppose just this; did you have an enjoyable date?" Skye said to the two.

"Did you?" Beckett replied. When the investigator just smiled at them she nodded and said, "So did we." She then remembered something and said, "I'm going to go change my blouse; I'll be back," before she headed over to the guest house.

"You're remembering that night aren't you?" Castle asked his wife as he stepped into the house after her, closing the door behind them.

"So are you," Beckett said, smiling at him.

"Hard not to," Castle said as he followed her upstairs.

Beckett didn't say anything to that, merely smiled again before she went to get another shirt. As she changed she was thinking about that night and how things up until the point when they began to clean up had seemed almost like when they'd been nothing more than friends. But as she'd helped him clean up the tone between them seemed to change and she glanced at her husband before was concentrating on her shirt.

* * *

 _"I feel like I have too much time on my hands," Beckett commented._

 _"You don't have that long of a suspension luckily," Castle told her as he brought the last plate over to where she was washing everything at the sink._

 _"I try to think of it like that but it's not exactly easy," Beckett replied. She glanced at him when she realized that he was staring at her and saw that he was doing so leaning against the counter. "What?" she asked as he just continued to stare._

 _"Nothing, you don't need my help?" Castle asked with a simple shrug of his shoulders._

 _"I think I can handle this," Beckett said easily as she smiled at him. She turned her attention back to the sink and was getting to the last of the plates and utensils when she felt her boyfriend close against her. She was going to say something when his arms slid around her and she paused in cleaning off the fork in her hand before she felt his hands come around her. Breathing out at the shock of his touch; since he'd never done that before; she let the fork drop into the water that was filling the sink and allowed him to pull her back against him. A soft moan left her lips before she could stop it, since he'd begun to kiss at the side of her neck; and her eyes instinctively closed before he was just holding her._

 _"You can't leave these, can you?" Castle asked, looking at what she had left to wash._

 _"No, but I'm almost finished," Beckett said quickly, forcing herself to turn her attention back to the fork. She tried her best not to splash before she was moving to the plate, which was the last she needed to work on. With that done she dried her hands and turned around to him, throwing her arms around him._

 _Kissing her the second that she was doing so to him Castle began to run his hands over her back repeatedly until he had to stop, stepping away from her. "I don't think I could have stopped," he told her breathlessly and slightly laughingly._

 _"I wouldn't have made you," Beckett replied._

 _"Why don't we watch a movie?" Castle said though his heart started to pound heavily at her words. He was startled when his girlfriend suddenly grabbed his hand, pulling him into the bedroom with her. He was going to ask her if she was sure when she was placing her hands on his chest, looking up into his eyes. He saw the desire in her own brown pools and he realized he couldn't stop them. So he leaned down, kissing her deeply before their arms wrapped around each other and they were soon dueling hungrily in her mouth._

 _When they had tumbled down to the bed Beckett had no real idea but she didn't care. As they continued to kiss one another and began to caress as well her pleasure was rising. For a moment, she thought that the date had gone incredibly well before Castle was laying her down on the bed, once they had divested one another of their clothes, and began to make love which took her concentration away with it completely._

* * *

"Really?" Castle asked, getting his wife's attention.

"What?" Beckett asked. She wasn't surprised when he looked down at her Paul McCartney shirt and she smiled saying, "So they can pretend they're at a concert venue."

"The Hollywood Bowl?" Castle suggested. He started to laugh when she just gave him a look but stopped when she abruptly walked up to him and grabbed him. "Love-" he began before she was cutting him off by crushing her lips to his. He was quick respond to her, holding her back the small of her back against him until they were both groaning feeling one another.

"I was remembering our first date; you're right," Beckett said. "And no," she said firmly as he began to open his mouth. "I don't regret anything about it."

"Okay," Castle said simply. Before his wife could say anything to that he leaned down, kissing her deeply before they were staring all over again. His lips were soon throbbing in reaction to how hard they were against each other and he relished the sensation until finally they parted once more. "There was something we needed to do?" he asked her.

"Yes, but I think we're fine until people start arriving," Beckett replied. She held onto him tighter and leaned closer before their lips brushed against one another. "I think," she started to say. "That we should keep going."

"How? We don't have to make love exactly," Castle told her quickly.

"No but it wouldn't hurt," Beckett replied easily.

Seeing she was looking away from him Castle followed her gaze before he realized that she was looking at the dresser that was new in the room. He couldn't help coughing slightly at the sight of it and the possibilities that went along with it before he said, " _I should tell you I've always loved the way your mind works_."

With a brief smile Beckett leaned over and brushed her lips to his before she said, " _I love yours too_."

" _And I love that you can read my mind_ ," Castle told her teasingly. He kissed her before she could respond and they were doing so deeply until they were breathless again. " _How did you know_?"

" _I know you_ ," Beckett said simply. " _And whatever you have in mind, yes_."

Breathing out hard Castle said, "Do we have to go out now?"

As soon as her husband had said that Beckett was reaching into her pocket since her text message alert had rung. "It's not Julia," she told him quickly as she knew he was going to worry about that. She read the message and said, "Here."

Castle was surprised before he then read it, laughing when he saw it said, _Drummer and keyboardist are here, stop snogging and get out here to help us greet them_. "What do you want to bet that they were doing the same thing after we left them?" he asked her jokingly.

"You really need to stop betting; it's unhealthy," Beckett told him before she took him over to the stairs.

"Well, since I already know I'm right I think I will," Castle commented. He wasn't surprised at the look he got from her and he went with her to the door.

Once it was opened Beckett could see that there was a car behind theirs by the garage. Turning to look back at her husband she said, "She was right, the party is starting." And with that she walked out with Castle, holding his hand as they made their way over to the patio where they could see the members of the band greeting each other.


	16. This Song Came To Me

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: The lyrics that I have in this chapter are from these songs: _Miss O'Dell_ by George Harrison, from his 2006 remastered album _Living in the Material World_. _This Song_ by George Harrison, from his album _Thirty Three & 1/3_ (if anyone checks these songs out on YouTube I would recommend seeing the official video for this song, it's quirky and fun and of course George!). _Friends To Go_ by Paul McCartney, from his album _Chaos and Creation in the Backyard_. _Living in the Material World_ by George Harrison, from his album of the same name (the capitalized words aren't yelling just to note, it's how they're written in the lyrics in the album liner). _Cage_ by Paul McCartney, from his unreleased album _Cold Cuts_. _Mull of Kintyre_ by Paul McCartney and Denny Laine. _Mo_ by George Harrison (also if anyone checks these songs out I would definitely recommend this one, not sure why but I absolutely adore this song and wish I'd learned of it a lot sooner than I did). _Calico Skies_ by Paul McCartney, from his album _Flaming Pie_.

A/N #2: I also have some Hindi written out in Latin alphabet that I got by using an online translator. So if anyone sees I've made a mistake that please let me know!

A/N #3: Was very happy getting the feedback I did for the last chapter so will get straight to my thank yous for that! TORONTOSUN (Great you like that everyone's a detective in the chapter, figured that would end up happening so I'm glad I wrote it in. And so pleased that you liked the back stories about Skye and Mary, as well as Castle and Beckett's since I really enjoyed writing them!),  
MsNYC (I was really glad to see that you loved Skye and Mary's flashback as much as you did as I wasn't sure how readers would take a flashback that wasn't from Castle, Beckett or their family. And you make a good point, a little backstory never hurts of course. It was nice too to see that you thought the whole last name thing with the McDouglases was too cute, as you put it since I thought that would be nice about their relationship. And pleased to see you thought it was great writing as usual too!) and  
vetgirlmx (Lol, I had a feeling there might be some protest at stopping it where I did, but I'm glad you're wanting to see that since yeah, they're off for the rest of the day. And interesting to see your thoughts on where they think the killer is from but yeah you'll have to wait to see what they'll find out about them. I was so, so happy that you loved the flashbacks and this time around because they were from someone different, Skye in this case. And yeah, it was the first one from her, I decided I wanted to branch out. But I'm so glad that once Beckett asked about it you were eager to hear the story and hopefully you will be for any future stories about her too! And I'm pleased you were glad that Julia's as worried as she is about Mari and yeah, I'm trying to have Julia more eager to dance and not so much the competition and trying to get her friend feel the same about that too. And I'm not surprised at your guess for the next chapter but I'm so happy you're so eagerly waiting for it and think it'll be so much fun. Hopefully that will be!).  
Thanks so much for the reviews, I loved reading them as always and am very grateful for the time taken to write them out and send them to me!

A/N #4: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song _This Song_ by George Harrison, from his album _Thirty Three & 1/3_.

This Song Came To Me

"Oh, you copied me," Skye said.

"How?" Beckett laughed as she and Castle were walking up to the four on the patio.

"I don't know," Skye said with a shrug as she was wearing a shirt with the cover of the album _Tug Of War_ on it. "Alright now that you're here I can introduce you. Kate, Rick this is our keyboardist Rajnish who we call Raj. And this is his husband, our drummer, Barry. They're the Foxes. Raj and Barry this is Richard Castle and Kate Beckett."

"Great to meet you," the keyboardist said as he shook their hands, a tall Indian man with thick black square framed glasses. "Skye and Mary have told us about you," he added, his British accent slightly thick.

"I haven't told them much about our band," Skye said slightly guiltily.

"That's alright, we know you're shy about it," Barry said, having a thick accent as well. He was slightly taller than Castle and he had on glasses as well that were nearly the same shape as his husband's though not as thick. "But my husband's right, grand to meet you."

"Where are you from?" Castle asked. "If that's not offensive."

"It's not," Barry replied with a smile. "And I'm from Wales; Raj and I met as we used to play cricket professionally when we were in our twenties. He was on India's team, I was on the Welsh team and there you have it."

"I think today's a day to be in more detail," Mary said. Before she could explain that she heard a buzzing noise and went over to the house saying, "That'll be someone else."

"Okay so let me get you some drinks," Skye said. "Oh… um, I got a text from Corey," she said, turning back to Castle and Beckett.

"We'll go inside," Raj said as he shared a look with his husband.

When they were alone Skye said, "He talked to the cousin and he said that they had been arguing about a small business that had shorted them on an order… I think bathtubs they'd ordered for their homes at the same time. He wanted Pablo to ask for more in a lawsuit and Pablo replied he couldn't do it; what Xavier heard. And checking the financials at least a year back he saw a purchase for some furniture and a tub that Tyler also bought and then returned; both of them."

"They checked the company?" Beckett asked.

"After that argument they refunded the two men as Tyler talked to them about suing them," Skye answered with a nod.

"Talked?" Castle asked, looking at his wife.

"Yes, the man from the company they talked to said he was calm but demanding," Skye said with a shrug. "Plus, the alibi the two men have is solid after a second check."

"Okay," Castle said slowly. "Still on the names?"

"Still on the names," Skye replied with a nod. "With that I think we should leave it until we're called in tomorrow. And Corey warned me it might be later, so let's go ahead and greet our guitarist and her husband since they just pulled in," she said with a smile as she saw the car pulling up to the other two in the driveway. She led the two, followed by her wife and the other two band members, to the couple coming out of the car to greet them first.

"Are we the last?" the woman asked as she walked up to Skye and hugged her.

"No, we're waiting for Denny and Karen," the investigator replied with a smile before she turned to Castle and Beckett. "Since these two are the only ones you don't know this is Richard Castle and Kate Beckett. Guys this is Jackie and Gabriel Masterson; Jackie's our guitarist as I mentioned."

Shaking the hands of the couple Castle said, "I'm wondering what you three do when you're not in this band."

"I'm a pediatrician," Jackie said with a smile.

"Dr. Masterson?" Beckett asked.

"Exactly," Jackie said.

"I'm a professor at UCLA," Gabriel said. "English literature."

"Nice," Castle said though he became a little uncertain.

"Don't worry," Gabriel told him as if he'd understood the slight tensing of the writer as they started to walk back to the house. "I don't read literature all the time; I do read modern. And when I found out Skye was going to be in your book I started with that one."

"Did you ever read the Nikki Heat books like I told you too?" Skye said in mock annoyance.

"I did, I was surprised they were supposed to be the two of you," Gabriel said to Castle and Beckett.

"Based on us," Beckett said quickly. "I think Moor and Green are more us than Heat and Rook were."

"Good names, they make me think of England," Gabriel said as they sat down at the table then.

"Ireland," Castle and Beckett said at the same time before they looked at each other.

"We were in Ireland when we thought of the names," Beckett said first before there was a buzzing noise from the inside of the house.

"Ah, that'll be Denny and Karen," Mary said, getting up hurriedly to open the gate.

"We forgot to set up the drums," Skye said slightly laughingly to Raj and Barry.

"We got busy with our conversation," the drummer replied. "We can set up after saying hello to them," he added, nodding over to the two women walking over.

Everyone stood up again and they were greeting the two before Beckett asked them, "You're married?"

"I wonder why we didn't use your last name," Skye said in amusement. "They're the De Graves."

"French which is a big help since I teach French at UCLA," Denny replied with a smile.

"So… how is it you all met then?" Castle asked, looking at them all.

"The connection to Skye comes from UCLA," Raj said first. "Since she's an alumni we all met her there. Barry and I attended some classes when we were younger though the two of us didn't meet that way," he said indicating himself and his husband

"You're all the same year?" Beckett asked. When they all nodded she smiled and said, "How did the band come about."

"Does Skye ever play for you?" Karen asked.

"A lot," Castle answered.

"She started doing that when we would have group dinners," Raj said first.

"And then we slowly came to find out we all could play instruments and could sing," Barry added.

"The band just came out of that," Skye said. "But remember we really only perform for friends."

"We never heard what you two do," Beckett said then to Raj and Barry.

"Interior designers," the keyboardist answered. "We helped Skye and Mary with their home when they renovated."

"And ours," Jackie said.

"And ours," Karen added.

"Okay," Castle said, slightly laughingly. "One more thing before we finish setting up; name?"

"For the band?" Jackie asked.

"Yeah, you might not be official but you should have a name," Castle said, looking around at them attentively.

"Well we do have a name," Mary said, looking at her wife.

"Tell us," Beckett said, genuinely interested as she had the feeling her friend had named the band. She also had a feeling that the name would be fascinating, just judging by the way the investigator would talk.

"It's The Rambling O'Dells," Skye said, slightly embarrassed.

"How'd you get that name?" Castle asked. He wasn't surprised when the others looked at the investigator and turned his attention to her as well.

"To be honest we filched the idea from The Traveling Wilburys; you know the band," Skye answered. "Rambling seemed like a good word for traveling."

"And she's rambling in all sense of the word," Raj commented.

"What about the O'Dell part?" Castle asked after they'd stopped laughing at the sight of the face that the investigator made at that keyboardist.

" _I'm the only one down here, Who's got nothing to say, About the war, or the rice, That keeps going astray on its way to Bombay, And the smog that keeps polluting up our shores, Is boring me to tears, Why don't you call me Miss O'Dell?_ " Skye then sang.

"Julia loves that song," Beckett commented.

"We did as well," Raj said. "She was humming it a bit once when we were practicing and we decided that would go well with rambling. Let's get your drums now."

Watching the two men go over to the cars Beckett said, "Would you keep the name if you ever recorded something?"

"Yeah," Mary said first. "We did the thinking of the name once already, that was more than enough."

"I'm off to help them," Skye said. "But I agree with her."

With some laughter, the group got the rest of the 'stage' together before they were standing around the front microphone and talking.

"I think for this one we should sing," Jackie said. "I'm tired of trying to think of hoedowns."

"Hoedowns as in _Whose Line is it Anyway?_ " Beckett asked.

"Yeah, we try to get verses about a topic that we find from a random generator," Karen replied.

"Alright then what should we try out?" Mary asked.

" _This Song_ ," Barry said. When the others groaned he said, "You know we need some work on this one. But we should try it without the horns section."

"No, that's queued up to go," Raj replied. "So a full run through?"

"Fully," Skye said simply as the others were turned to her. She went with her wife and Jackie to pick out their guitars and then went to where Raj and Berry were waiting behind their instruments. "You can stand or sit," she said to Castle and Beckett who were still standing at the microphone. "It doesn't need to be a full concert."

"Break a leg," Beckett said.

"Thanks," Skye replied. She turned to her band and when they nodded back to her she counted off. "One, two, three, four!"

The music began and Beckett began to film with her phone, not bothering to hide that, and she said quickly to her husband, "For Julia."

Castle nodded but he didn't have a chance to reply to that as Skye was beginning to sing and he watched her playing the Rickenbacker she had for it at the same time.

 _This song has nothing tricky about it  
This song ain't black or white and as far as I know  
Won't infringe on anyone's copyright so…_

 _This song we'll let be  
This song is in E  
This song is for you and…_

There was a brief instrumental there and when Barry played them into the next Castle laughed briefly as the three guitarists jumped in rhythm with him before Skye turned back to her microphone.

 _This tune has nothing "Bright" about it  
This tune ain't bad or good and come ever what may  
My expert tells me it's okay_

Seeing the way Skye played a series of chords then while leaning over to the side Beckett looked at her husband and she mouthed to him, ' _Julia will love her_.'

' _Definitely_ ,' Castle mouthed before they were quickly turning back to the band.

 _As this song came to me  
Quite unknowingly  
This song could be "You" could be_

Beckett couldn't help laughing with Castle as Barry at the drums then said in a feminine, hoarse voice, " _Could be 'Sugar Pie Honey Bunch. No sounds more like 'Rescue Me'!_ " that she recognized from the actual song.

Castle applauded with the De Graves next to them as the band was going into an instrumental break and he watched Skye go over to Raj and talk to him before they were laughing; the man playing his keyboard furiously.

With Skye back at her microphone Beckett had to be impressed by the way the investigator was playing to the song and realized that although they didn't perform officially they were still treating it as a concert and she had to appreciate that before her friend was singing again.

 _This riff ain't trying to win gold medals  
This riff ain't hip or square  
Well done or rare  
May end up one more weight to bear_

 _But this song could well be  
A reason to see that  
Without you there's no point to… this song_

Another instrumental there and they were all watching Raj playing the piano setting on his keyboard furiously while Skye was jumping up and down before Mary did the same before they sang the very last verse again together.

 _But this song could well be  
A reason to see that  
Without you there's no point to… this song_

After Skye slid her finger of the strings she stopped playing and looked at Mary saying, "We got better."

"We did," the woman replied. "I guess you liked it."

"You're really a performer," Beckett said as she, Castle and the De Graves had applauded as they walked up to the band.

"Well," Skye said, unable to help the way she was blushing. "The song calls for it. Have you ever seen the music video?"

"We have, you did a great job with the speaking part," Castle answered before directing the last to Barry.

"Oh thank you, that's my favorite part of the song so I practiced that one," Barry said.

"Dinner's ready so we should go ahead and eat," Mary said. "Skye?"

"I'm right after you _grá_ ," the investigator said as they were putting their guitars away next to Jackie.

Sitting down at the table with the rest of the band, the De Graves and Gabriel, Castle said, "How do you pick the songs you're going to be performing?"

"We have a list in a random generator app," Jackie answered first.

"And we can separate them by singer, we'll usually play a couple of Paul's, a couple of George's," Raj said.

"That's what we get called to perform more often," Barry added.

"That should be great," Beckett said. "Can you perform every song?"

"We can adapt them so we can," Jackie replied.

"That's where we come in," Karen said first.

"Right I forgot to tell you they're our orchestra and back up essentially," Skye said as she was coming out to the table with the casserole in her hands. She helped her wife serve everyone until she said, " _Bon appetite_ ," raising her glass.

After everyone had tapped their glasses together the group began to eat and after a few bites they talked before the others were asking Castle and Beckett about their lives in the Hamptons.

"So, Skye and Mary are the only ones who have kids here?" Castle asked in surprise after they had asked about the girls.

"We are," Mary replied. "But they've been here before watching us practice; they enjoy it."

"Tonight though they wanted to spend time with their friends," Skye said. "And since it hasn't been too long since school started we let them do that."

"That was a great meal," Barry said. "Again."

"I know how to cook," Mary said, smiling at him.

"Are we going to go back or dessert?" Jackie asked.

When the others protested it was too soon for dessert Skye said, "I think we need to go on and play again. We'll clean up-" She looked on in surprise when the others started to stand and took their plates, smiling before she followed them with her wife. After they had finished she grabbed Beckett's hand and said, "Were you filming earlier? I forgot to ask."

"I was," Beckett replied with a smile. "I wanted Julia to see it and after seeing that first song I really want her to see it."

"Alright," Skye said with a mock suffering sigh. She then smiled and said, "Going to keep filming?"

"Unless you take my phone, yes," Beckett replied simply.

Skye rolled her eyes as she smiled and she whistled for hers and Mary's Pug to come to her from the kitchen and said, "No need to clear the floor, I'll feed you two right now."

"She'll meet us outside," Mary said before she led everyone outside again. "Quick," she said in a rush. "Pick out the first song before she comes back."

"You're so mean," Denny was saying with a laugh.

"Oh, she'd do the same to me if it was the other way around," Mary said before they turned their attention to the keyboardist with his phone.

"I put both Paul and George," Raj told everyone. "And it looks like we have… _Friends to Go_."

"Oh, she's not going to like that," Jackie said with a laugh.

"Not like what?" Skye asked as she stepped out onto the patio. "And I already knew you two were going to pick out something."

"I just did it because your wife asked," Raj said before he laughed. "We'll do it? Or should I try again?"

"We'll do it, get ready," Skye said.

"Wait, before that we need to take out the table," Mary said.

Watching as the men were taking the table to the patio Beckett said to her friend, "You don't mind the song?"

"Oh no, I just prefer this one in a more intimate setting but I'll sing it now," Skye assured her as the others were coming back to them. "Alright, let's get ready," she told the band before they got their guitars or went to their instruments.

Sitting with the De Graves and Gabriel on the chairs left on the grass Beckett got her phone ready and started to film as soon as Skye started to play on her acoustic guitar she'd chosen that time. She felt a slight sense of anticipation for the performance of that song, since she wondered how exactly the investigator would perform as she then began to sing.

 _I've been waitin' on the other side, for your friends to leave  
So I don't have to hide, I prefer they didn't know  
So I've been waiting on the other side, for your friends to go_

 _I've been sliding down a slippy slope, I've been climbing  
Up a slowly burning rope, but the flame is getting low  
I've been waitin' on the other side, for your friends to go_

 _You never need to worry about me, I'll be fine on my own  
Someone else can worry about me  
I've spent a lot of time on my own  
I've spent a lot of time on my own_

Castle wasn't surprised when Skye and Mary looked at each other with that verse and he couldn't help himself, reaching to Beckett and gently taking her hand.

Since shortly after Skye was singing the next verse Beckett could only squeeze back in response to her husband's grip before they were looking at the investigator.

 _I've been waitin' till the danger past, I don't know  
How long the storm is gonna last, if we're gonna carry on  
I'll be waiting on the other side, till your friends have gone_

 _So tell me what I wanna know  
I'll be waiting on the other side, for your friends to go_

At the instrumental break there Castle murmured into his wife's ear, " _Think this could apply to us?_ "

" _While we were hiding it? I guess_ ," Beckett said. " _Now quiet my phone will pick this up and Julia doesn't need to hear it_."

Castle playfully saluted with his free hand, smiling when she rolled her eyes, but still smiled a little at him.

 _Someone else can worry about me  
I've spent a lot of time on my own  
I've spent a lot of time on my own_

 _I've been waiting on the other side  
For your friends to leave so I don't have to hide  
I'd prefer they didn't know  
So I've been waiting on the other side, for your friends to go_

Smiling at the way the band echoed the last three words Beckett checked her phone to make sure that it was still recording. She looked up as the last verse began, waiting to hear how Skye would handle the second utterance of the phrase she sang at first.

 _I've been waiting on the other side,  
I've been waiting on the other side, for your friends to go_

"Nice," Beckett said, stopping the recording and applauding their singing since the song had stopped soon after. "Why did you have them singing 'friends to go' before the end and just that?"

"Artistic license I suppose," Skye said first.

"It sounded better to us," Barry replied. "The first time we ran through the song. But that was good on the last 'I've been waiting' Skye."

"You did great with that flick we talked about," Jackie then told him. "What's up next?"

"Hold on," Raj said, setting down the tambourine he'd used before picking up his phone. He was tapping on the screen for a while and then said with a sigh, "We need a break."

"What is it?" Barry asked his husband.

" _Living in the Material World_ ," Raj said.

"That's a great song," Castle said, surprised when the band all groaned heavily in response.

"But long," Beckett said, making that a guess as well.

"It is and it takes a bit for Raj to play," Barry replied.

"It's still a great song, you're right," the keyboardist said, nodding to Castle. "But a break is needed."

"And drinks, we'll be back," Mary said, taking her wife by the hand and pulling her to the house.

"We'll take a walk, we'll be back," Jackie said before she and Gabriel walked away over to the rose garden.

Beckett looked on with her husband as the De Graves left, walking around the side of the home to the front. Looking at Castle she said, "I'd say let's go somewhere too but there's nowhere else left."

"The pool?" he asked her as she stood up to put away her phone.

"I was thinking about going there later with Skye and Mary; if it's not too late once they finish," Beckett said as they walked around what there was of the grass, doing their best to avoid the rose garden.

"Oh yeah, it's still warm so that would be really nice," Castle said, nodding his head. He couldn't stop himself and glanced at the house, able to see in the kitchen Skye disappearing into the laundry room off it.

"Rick," Beckett said as she was watching him, knowing what he was looking at.

"Well since everyone's occupied at the moment…" Castle began before he leaned down to his wife and kissed her deeply. When he felt her wrap her arms around him the same time she responded he nearly smiled before he was focusing his attention on her. Their tongues met and he began to rub his own against hers until they were parting and he pressed his forehead against hers.

"Wait," Beckett breathed when her husband began to lean towards her again. "We're in the middle of the yard." She wasn't surprised when he swore and she told him, "I know, I wish we could have gone off first but I didn't know they did this."

"You think they do this regularly?" Castle asked her as they went back over to the chairs.

"It's obvious, there was no real hesitation except in regard to us," Beckett pointed out.

"That's true," Castle said after thinking about that. Sitting with her he took her hand and then realized something saying, "Will you send this to Paul?"

"No if we could somehow get him to come when Skye's performing at that party…" Beckett began.

"She'd have to perform right away," Castle said. The realization hit him quickly then and he looked at his wife saying, "Have you been in contact with him?"

"Since Skye told us about the rehearsal," Beckett replied, keeping an eye on the house to make sure the woman in question wouldn't walk out to them. "And he'll go to that party instead; since it'll be smaller."

"That makes me wonder about the club," Castle said, looking at Skye and Mary as they walked out to them.

"What about them?" Skye asked as they sat down with mugs of tea after handing them to Castle and Beckett. " _Yours is chamomile_ ," she told Beckett quickly in Russian.

"Could you contact everyone and see who could come?" Castle asked. "It's insanely last minute I know, but as a memorial to Pablo."

"I can try," Skye said. "We were talking about the club actually," she said, motioning to herself and her wife. "And we wonder if we shouldn't keep it going."

"What could we do that we aren't already?" Beckett asked.

"Maybe have more get togethers," Skye said.

"She wants to have something every year on the anniversary of the flight," Mary said.

"Not something, a party like we did that first time," Skye corrected her wife.

"You can try, I know we'll be the first to give you our RSVP that we're going to go," Castle said quickly, looking at his wife and not surprised when she nodded.

"Where will you hold it?" Beckett asked.

"In New York of course," Skye said. "Would seem odd to hold it elsewhere; this party Pablo had was just because you would be here."

The band was all returning then, not at the same time but soon they were all in the chairs talking before Skye suddenly said something to Raj in another language.

" _Aap poochh sakate ho_ ," Skye said after the keyboardist had spoken to her statement.

" _Kaha pe_?" Raj asked.

" _Unake chhalle_ ," Skye replied. She wasn't surprised when the others; except for her wife and Barry; looked at her in confusion and she said, "Sorry that was Hindi; Raj taught me."

"And me," Barry said. "She said you have some Hindi on you, Raj said he didn't believe it, she said you can ask, he said where and she said on your rings…"

"Oh, here," Beckett said, taking her phone out of her pocket and then opening a picture.

"She was right, you do," Raj said as it was a picture of the inside of the wedding bands of the two writers. "Nicely etched… why Hindi though?"

"We became influenced by George listening to him with our oldest," Beckett replied with a smile. "And in turn by Hinduism… particularly Shiva and Parvati."

"Interesting," Raj said. "And that makes sense."

"Speaking of George," Mary said. She laughed with her wife when the others all groaned in disappointment and they got up to go back to their instruments and prepare for their next song.

"Okay this one's a crasher to start out with," Skye said, her mouth away from the microphone as the five in the 'audience' could hear her without it.

"That's fine, we know the song and the music is great," Beckett said.

"It'll be even better if you can manage it," Castle said, not surprised when his wife looked at him before narrowing her eyes.

"Challenge accepted," Skye said after she burst out laughing. She then turned back to the others and mouthed, 'One, two… three,' before they immediately started to play an intro that went on until she began to sing.

 _I'm living in the material world  
Living in the material world_

 _Can't say what I'm doing here  
But I hope to see much clearer  
After living in the material world_

 _I got born into the material world  
Getting worn out in the material world  
Use my body like a car  
Taking me both near and far  
Met my friends all in the material world_

Laughing when the De Graves whistled when Skye winked at them all at the last line of the verse Beckett looked at Raj and saw that he had both his hands on the two keyboards that were set up, hearing the more Indian style music in the song coming from him. She reminded herself then to tell the man he'd done a great job after the song but then turned to Skye at the next verse and the second line which she realized that she had been misinterpreting it for some time.

 _Met them all here in the material world  
John and Paul here in the material world  
Though we started out quite poor  
We got Richy on a tour  
Got caught up in the material world_

Castle was startled when; at the second to last lyric; Skye motioned with one hand to him and his wife. A second later he was applauding her joke including them both though he knew the 'Richy' was supposed to be Ringo Starr.

Beckett was startled herself when the song changed and the three women at the front stopped playing the guitar completely as the Indian music took over, forgetting it was at that moment.

 _From the Spiritual Sky  
Such sweet memories have I_

Castle looked at his wife as Skye was holding her hands up pressed together before she then grabbed the microphone as she pushed her guitar around to her back. He had to admit she was a great performer as she held her hand up to the sky and then continued with the chorus.

 _To the Spiritual Sky  
How I pray  
Yes I pray  
That I won't get lost  
Or go astray_

The music built up and it was there that Beckett wished Julia was with them as she knew her daughter would have found a dance step of some sort to go there, the investigator ahead of them just stomping her foot on the ground in the drumbeat at the end. But soon the guitars were back and Skye's mic was in its stand and she was singing once more.

 _As I'm fated for the material world  
Get frustrated in the material world  
Senses never gratified  
Only swelling like a tide  
That could drown me in the material world_

With a musical break Skye was first to start and Castle watched with wide eyes as she began to almost shred on her guitar. But soon after she stopped and he was taken aback for a moment by the sound of a saxophone but then recalled that it was Raj, the man's hand working over one of his keyboards.

Walking back and forth for a moment Skye then went to stand in front of the keyboardist and they played back and forth. " _Go on_!" she called to him in Hindi.

" _Get ready to slow down_ ," Raj called back in a mock warning tone before they were laughing together and she was walking away.

The music went back to the Indian instruments again and once again Skye took the microphone off its stand. As she began she stood still with her eyes closed tightly and her hand up in the air again.

 _From the Spiritual Sky  
Such sweet memories have I  
To the Spiritual Sky  
How I pray  
Yes I pray  
That I won't get lost  
Or go astray_

Beckett was impressed once more, that time by how quickly Skye could get back to her stand to get back to singing. She glanced at the rest of the band, seeing they were watching the investigator as if to get their cues from her though she was aware they all knew the song and knew where they would need to sing back up as they'd been doing that the entire time.

 _While I'm living in the material world  
Not much 'giving' in the material world  
Got a lot of work to do  
Try to get a message through  
And get back out of this material world_

Skye looked over at Raj just before they reached the next verse and they nodded at the same time to one another before she sang.

 _I'm living in the material world  
Living in the material world  
I hope to get out of this place  
By the LORD SRI KRSNA'S GRACE  
My salvation from the material world_

Beckett was a little startled at the motion with their hands that Skye, Mary and Raj all made at the mention of the god's name but her attention then went back to the music as Jackie was soon playing. She smiled when Mary then joined her and Skye was last and they all played together before the music was changing.

Whistling at the almost show tune ending to the music Castle was applauding with Beckett, Gabriel and the De Graves as the other members of the band were looking at Barry whose drums were heavy there.

"Come on Barry play us on out!" Skye yelled so he could hear her. When he stopped they all did and she looked back at their small audience, nodding her thanks for their applause.

"I'll grab the tea for you guys," Gabriel said as he jumped up and then rushed to the house. "That was fantastic babe!"

"Thank you," Jackie called out before she was sitting with everyone else. "Whew, that takes a lot out of you."

"It's nice to get to the chorus," Skye said.

"You should go to India," Castle said. "Better yet; come with us."

"Me too?" Raj said in surprise as the man was looking at him.

"Yeah, you and Skye and… anyone else who wants to come with us," Castle said.

"We'll stick around here," Karen said.

"They don't like to fly," Barry explained. "I think we should take them up on that offer _priy_." He wasn't surprised to see Castle and Beckett looking confused at his last word and he quickly explained, "That means dear in Hindi."

"Alright if we can we'll go," Raj said, reaching over and squeezing his husband's knee. "Not just because I'm Indian, is it? I mainly grew up in England before I went back at age twenty; school."

"Partially but also because I thought you might like to go, that's not… racist or… nationalist, is it?" Castle asked them. He smiled when they all laughed; including Raj; and then held out his mug to be refilled by Gabriel who had returned with the pot of tea.

"It's not and we take the chance to visit his family when we can," Barry said, nodding to his husband.

"Where are you from?" Beckett asked.

"You'll think I'm pulling your leg but I swear it I'm from Dehra Dun," Raj replied. "I grew up knowing that song and…"

"Oh… alright," Skye said when the man looked at her. She stood up and went over to the guitars, taking her mandolin. She grabbed her tea when she was sitting back down and then said, "I'm going to just play the music."

"Your throat?" Mary asked her wife in concern.

"Yeah, needs a break," Skye said. When there was no protest she then began to play, humming before her wife joined her. She was relieved when no one tried to get her to sing it and she refilled her cup with hot tea before Raj was looking on his phone for their next song.

"An unreleased one," the man said once he had their song. " _Cage_."

"We haven't played that one in a long time," Mary said to her wife.

"I know, do we all remember it?" Skye said, looking around at the other band members.

"I do," Jackie said with a nod.

"Me too," Barry said.

"As do I, we should just go ahead and do it," Raj said. After they had all finished their tea they got up together and he went to the keyboards, getting the settings ready. "I'm good," he said as he saw that Skye was looking over at him from her bass.

"Okay, one, two, three," the investigator counted down. They began to play and she made some vocal noises before she then got to the first verse.

 _Emotional moments, you left in a rage  
But if you could love me now, I wouldn't be in a cage  
Provisional license, I'm under arrest  
But if you could get me out, I'd like to take another test_

Since she had recognized the song Beckett wasn't surprised when the music slowed down before it changed as Skye got to the next verse. She was when Mary then came from the back up just singing 'ah' to make the verses a duet with her wife.

 _I've been sent to tell you  
That the man you were with last night  
Is feeling sorry, sorry  
But he told me to tell you  
That he hardly ever lies  
But he lied to you last night_

 _He didn't mean it, no  
Said he didn't mean it, no  
He didn't mean it, no  
Said he didn't mean it, no_

 _I've been sent to tell you  
That the man you were with last night  
Is feeling lonely only for you  
He told me to tell you  
That he hardly ever cries  
But he cried for you last night_

 _He didn't mean it, no  
Said he didn't mean it, no  
He didn't mean it, no  
Said he didn't mean it, no_

Castle was clapping with the others as the music went back to what it had been at the beginning and he watched as Mary went back to sing back up with the rest of the band while Skye then sang the last verse.

 _Emotional moments, you left in a rage  
But if you could love me now, I wouldn't be in a cage  
Dramatic performance, direct from the stage_

Beckett's eyes widened when the investigator drew out the word stage; much as Paul had in his performance; and she made sure she was still recording before the verse and song ended.

 _But if you could get me out, I wouldn't be in a cage_

The music stopped abruptly and the band nodded to the others applauding before Skye went to change her guitar. "We'll sing one more for you," she told the five once she was back near her microphone. "One last one as I think we got a good amount of practice done," she said.

"One more," Karen said before they looked over at Raj.

"We already know what we're going to sing," the man said easily.

"Here we go; one two three four," Skye counted down before they played the intro and she heard the five in front of them laughing as they recognized the song. She went to the mic to start to sing herself, trying her best not to laugh though in the album version George Harrison had been doing so himself.

 _I'm the only one down here  
Who's got nothing to say  
About the war  
Or the rice  
That keeps going astray on its way to Bombay  
And the smog that keeps polluting up our shores  
Is boring me to tears  
Why don't you call me Miss O'Dell?_

Shaking her head as her friend was eventually laughing towards the end of that verse Beckett watched her get to the next verse before Skye started to laugh again.

 _I'm the only one down here  
Who's got nothing to fear  
From the waves  
Or the night  
That keeps rolling right up to my front porch  
That record player's broken on the floor  
And Ben he can't restore it  
Miss O'Dell_

 _I can tell you  
Nothing new  
Has happened since I last saw you_

 _And I'm the only one down here  
Who's got nothing to say  
About the hip  
Or the dope  
Or the cat with most hope to fill the Fillmore  
And your pushing, shoving, ringing on my bell  
Is not for me tonight  
So won't you call me Miss O'Dell?_

 _Won't you call me Miss O'Dell?_

Skye finished by rambling off a phone number and smiled as the audience applauded them once more before they stopped. "Okay, I think that's enough for tonight," she started to say before she was startled by the five of them protesting. "Another?" she asked.

"We don't mind," Beckett said.

"What about your neighbors?" Castle then asked.

"Oh, they've heard us doing this before," Skye replied. "Likely are listening to us right now."

"Then it's likely they're listening now," Jackie called to her. "Come on, one more."

"I got it," Raj said then. When everyone looked at him he smiled and told them, " _Mull of Kintyre_."

"Can't do that one," Mary said jokingly in a British accent.

"No, we can," Barry said quickly.

"Do-" Skye started to say before Karen was standing up. "Thank you," she said.

"What's going on?" Beckett asked as they turned to see Barry returning from his car.

"You know how to play those?" Castle asked in surprise when he saw the drummer was holding bagpipes.

"I do," Barry said before he began to get it ready. "Where do you want me?"

"There is fine," Skye replied, nodding next to her. "Are we all ready, Karen?" she asked, looking to the drums where the woman was.

"Give me a second," Karen replied. She closed her eyes and then began to play as fast as she could, smiling when everyone started to applaud her efforts. "Okay, all set."

"Never mind we're a bit slower on this one," Raj said jokingly to the woman.

"Okay you two," Mary said in a mothering tone. "Count us in _grá_ ," she said to her wife.

"One, two, three…" Skye began softly. She then played her acoustic guitar she'd changed to, playing a slow Waltz tune as she watched Beckett hold her phone up higher just before she began.

 _Mull of Kintyre, oh mist rolling in from the sea  
My desire is always to be here  
Oh Mull of Kintyre_

 _Far have I traveled and much have I seen  
Darkest of mountains with valleys of green  
Past painted deserts the sun sets on fire  
As he carries me home to the Mull of Kintyre_


	17. This Song Came To Me (Part 2)

When the chorus began for a second time Beckett wasn't surprised when the others sang with the investigator but was when Barry leaned over to sing with Mary into her microphone. He had yet to play the bagpipes in his arms and she tried to remember when they started in the song as the band kept singing.

 _Mull of Kintyre, oh mist rolling in from the sea  
My desire is always to be here  
Oh Mull of Kintyre_

"There he is," Castle commented as the drummer began to play his bagpipes. His eyes widened at the way they sounded very close to the actual recording of the song though there was just one of them.

After listening to the bagpipes for a bit; which never failed to give her a chill and that time was no exception; Beckett glanced at Karen as she was playing the drums. She wasn't surprised when the woman seemed to be more at ease that time and realized why she wasn't the band's drummer as her nervousness before had been very apparent.

 _Sweep through the heather like deer in the glen  
Carry me back to the days I knew then  
Nights when we sand like a heavenly choir  
Of the life and the times of the Mull of Kintyre_

When they began to sing the chorus again Skye looked at the four in front of her and then the band, startled for a moment as they were soon singing along with them. She merely smiled to show her response and then concentrated on the lyrics and chords she was still playing.

 _Mull of Kintyre, oh mist rolling in from the sea  
My desire is always to be here  
Oh Mull of Kintyre_

Barry was still playing and he wasn't surprised when the others lowered the volume on their instruments for a bit before the next verse and Skye was starting up.

 _Smiles in the sunshine and tears in the rain  
Still take me back where my memories remain  
Still take me back where my memories remain  
Flickering embers go higher and higher  
As they carry me back to the Mull of Kintyre_

 _Mull of Kintyre, oh mist rolling in from the sea  
My desire is always to be here  
Oh Mull of Kintyre_

Waving her hands then to the five Skye called for them to sing louder as the six of them in the band did so with the chorus once more and she let out a cry at the end as Paul had done in the recording.

 _Mull of Kintyre, oh mist rolling in from the sea  
My desire is always to be here  
Oh Mull of Kintyre_

"Nice," Castle said, applauding after Barry had stopped with the bagpipes.

"Thank you," the drummer said, bowing his head. "Really practiced this one once I learned it."

"One more song," the De Graves suddenly said together.

"Argh, you guys," Skye said as she was taking off the strap of her acoustic. "Raj, one more for George _if you please_ ," she told the keyboardist, finishing in Hindi.

" _Mo_ ," Raj replied after looking at his phone.

Surprised when everyone in the band cheered that name Castle said, "That one sounds familiar."

"I played that for you last year; at the beach house," Skye replied. "But just an acoustic version. Now you can hear the full one. And this is the last one."

"For now," Denny commented. She laughed when the investigator gave her a look and quickly waved her hand saying, "Hurry up we want to hear it."

Skye gave a mock suffering sigh before she said to the rest of the band, "Ready?" At their nods, she then began with the first chords, playing slide as it was featured in the song, the band soon following her as it was a song they loved to practice. Playing for at least twenty seconds she reached where the lyrics began and she stepped closer to the microphone to sing.

 _A little boy was born nearby some fifty years ago  
His name was Mo, Mo, Mo_

Singing along with the others as backup on her wife's chanting of Mo, Mary watched as Skye played some slide guitar until she was singing again and they joined in on Mo again.

 _They could have called him Clive or so  
They didn't call him Joe  
They called him Mo, Mo, Mo_

When Skye began to play her slide again Beckett zoomed in closer to that as she realized she wanted Paul to see the investigator's talent with it. She didn't realize it but she was mouthing the song at the same time, knowing it well from Julia listening to it.

Watching his wife Castle smiled at her mouthing the lyrics before he turned his attention to the chorus the whole band was singing. When he realized that the De Graves and Gabriel were as well he glanced at Beckett and with a shrug started to sing along before he heard her doing so as well; softly at first before she got more confidence and was doing so louder.

 _We're gonna give you  
Mo, love  
Mo, good wishes  
Mo, smiles  
Mo, sweet kisses  
Mo, hits  
And none of them misses no, no, no  
Not for our good Mo_

At the break between lyrics Skye turned to her wife as her guitar led off there and she was soon playing her slide until finally she was singing the next verse.

 _A smile that you give at comes back always to you know  
We love you Mo, Mo, Mo_

Castle jumped when, as Skye was playing her slide guitar again, Beckett whistled and he saw the investigator was a little taken aback too. But he had to admire how she was able to quickly recover and sing the rest of that verse though she was smiling as she did so.

 _Whatever that it takes, I know  
You have and it shows  
We love you Mo, Mo, Mo_

 _We're gonna give you  
Mo, love  
Mo, good wishes  
Mo, smiles  
Mo, sweet kisses  
Mo, hits  
And none of them misses no, no, no  
Not for our sweet Mo_

At the start of the guitar solo Mary and Jackie led off for Skye before they were singing the name Mo every so often as they watched her playing until the end, the investigator walking around a bit while she played. The audience in front of them was soon cheering Skye's efforts as she was obviously concentrating hard on her chords, her finger in the slide nearly flying around the neck of the guitar until she was back at her microphone.

 _From where I sit or stand  
I hear it on my radio  
They're singing Mo, Mo, Mo  
Mo, Mo, Mo_

When the next verse began Beckett wasn't surprised when Skye looked at her wife but when they suddenly began to sing it together she smiled. It made her wonder at what the two were like when they were practicing on their own as she could see even from where she sat the love in their eyes.

 _This day is truly yours forever  
Reaping what you've sown  
In bringing us Mo, Mo, Mo  
Mo, Mo, Mo_

The whole band sang the chorus together and took them to the end of the song with that, all of them looking like they were truly enjoying it as they had when they'd learned they be singing it.

 _We're gonna give you  
Mo, love  
Mo, good wishes  
Mo, smiles  
Mo, sweet kisses  
Mo, hits  
And none of them misses no, no, no  
Not for our good Mo_

 _Mo, love  
Mo, good wishes  
Mo, smiles  
Mo, sweet kisses  
Mo, hits  
And none of them misses no, no, no  
Not for our good Mo_

As they played out the last of the song together Skye was stepping side to side of her microphone before she came back to it and called, " _Go get 'em Mo_ ," until she stopped the song by stopping her guitar. When the four clapped she bowed her head and said, "Thank you, now let's get all packed up!"

With some laughter Castle, Beckett, Gabriel and the De Graves soon got up before they began to put away the instruments. That took some time but they were laughing and talking as they did so together until they were gathering under the stars again at the chairs with more tea to continue their talk.

"Why do you have another guitar," Jackie asked her husband as he was holding an acoustic on his lap.

"One more song," Gabriel said, handing it over to Skye.

"You want to sing now?" Castle asked in slight surprise as the investigator took the instrument.

"I have a good song for right now; the very last one," Skye replied, exaggerating the word last. She put the strap over her shoulder and played a few chords before she said to everyone, "Since we're all couples here I thought this would work."

At the intro to the song Beckett reached over to her husband before she leaned against his side, watching the singer as she knew the other couples were doing the same while Skye began to sing; Mary joining her at the chorus.

 _It was written that I would love you  
From the moment I opened my eyes  
And the morning when I first saw you  
Gave me life under calico skies_

 _I will hold you for as long as you like  
I'll hold you for the rest of my life_

 _Always looking for ways to love you  
Never failing to fight at your side  
While the angels of love protect us  
From the innermost secrets we hide_

 _I will hold you for as long as you like  
I'll hold you for the rest of my life_

Holding onto his wife a little tighter Castle couldn't help lean down and kiss her temple, tempted to say her name. But Skye was singing and he had to keep quiet as he could see the other couples were all still listening.

 _Long live all of us crazy soldiers  
Who were born under calico skies  
May we never be called to handle  
All the weapons of war we despise_

 _I will hold you for as long as you like  
I'll hold you for the rest of my life  
I will hold you for as long as you like  
I'll hold you for the rest of my  
For the rest of my life_

* * *

"I think you really should consider it," Beckett was saying to Skye.

"I couldn't," the investigator replied. "I'm with the NTSB not a performer."

"You could have fooled us," Castle commented as he was going up the steps from the pool where he and his wife were with the McDouglases.

"It's fun doing it like this; a small audience, no real fame," Skye explained. "So I'll stick with this. Are you ready _grá_?" she called to her wife who was swimming over to them.

"I don't think she is," Castle commented as they watched her approaching.

"I'm ready," Mary said in mock irritation as she got out of the water. "Jacuzzi?" she asked her wife once she was out of the pool.

"Yes," Skye replied easily, making her way over to the tub. She got in first and once they were inside she sighed, leaning back against the side.

"You know there's something I'd like to hear about," Beckett commented after they'd been relaxing for a while. When the others looked at her she said to Skye and Mary, "Your first date."

"Oh," Skye said, looking over at her wife. She smiled when Mary nodded to her and she looked back at the other two before she said, "It's a lot like yours was."

"We shared with you," Beckett said simply.

"She's right, even if it was a simple night it's okay," Castle told them.

"What if it ends like yours did?" Skye asked.

"We know already that it didn't," Castle said first.

"He's right, you said you went to Catalina for your first time," Beckett said.

"I thought that would work," Skye said to her wife with a smile.

"I know but we should just tell them," Mary said. She looked back at Castle and Beckett and said, "We should warn you there's femslash in this."

"What you watch soap operas too?" Castle asked.

"No," Skye said, rolling her eyes though she was smiling. "You've heard of the term."

"I have," Castle said with a nod.

"And since we've known you this long and never objected to this 'femslash' I think we'll be okay with whatever happened on your date," Beckett said.

"Well you know now we didn't become lovers then-" Mary said first.

"So it's tame," Skye said. She smiled when her wife glanced at her and she said, "We were here, or Mary arrived and I let her in, nervous as hell as she pulled up in front of the house while I was waiting for her on the porch."

"I could tell," Mary said quickly.

Skye shared a smile with her wife and continued with what had happened after her new girlfriend had stepped out of her parked car.

* * *

 _"I keep forgetting how amazing your house is," Mary called to Skye while she was walking up to her._

 _"My father thanks you," the investigator said, smiling slightly tensely at her._

 _"Don't be so nervous," Mary said, stepping up to her and not surprised Skye stepped back slightly. She stepped up to her again and cupped her cheek before brushing her lips against hers. When she pulled away she smiled and said, "Hi."_

 _"Hi," Skye said, a little proud that she managed not to stammer that out. "Come on inside, dinner's about halfway done._

 _"It smells great," Mary said, smiling as they went into the house together. She pet her girlfriend's Pug before they made their way to the kitchen. "What do you think about going out to the pool after this? Dip our feet in?"_

 _"That would be nice, it's a little disgusting that it's so hot still," Skye said._

 _"Was it hot at all where you were investigating?" Mary asked as the investigator motioned for her to sit at one of the chairs at the island._

 _"A bit, but even that bit made the jacket a bit of a bitch," Skye said, stirring the pasta on the stove._

 _"You could have taken it off," Mary said._

 _"Can't," Skye said simply, shaking her head. She was startled when her girlfriend stared at her and she asked, "What?"_

 _"I've never told you how… sexy your accent is have I?" Mary said simply._

 _"I…" Skye said, pausing in moving the pot of sauce off its burner. "Thank you," she mumbled._

 _"I see I'm going to have to teach you to take some compliments," Mary said to her response._

 _"No one's told me that before," Skye said, trying to go quickly as she was moving the pasta off the stove._

 _"I'm not trying to get something," Mary said, walking over to her and watching as Skye was mixing everything. "I'm stating what I think."_

 _"I'm glad you-" the investigator started to say before she was suddenly being kissed again. She moaned softly before she pulled away at the sound of her timer going off and breathing hard said, "I better finish with this."_

* * *

"What can I say?" Mary commented as she looked at the expression on her wife's face. "I couldn't really keep my hands off you."

"Rick and I were the same too," Beckett said with a smile.

"And having to go to work?" Skye asked.

"We made up for it later," Beckett replied, not surprised when Castle raised and lowered his eyebrows a few times. "But back to you guys."

"We ate dinner, talked about whatever came to mind," Skye said.

"We had to get to know each other still," Mary added. "And we did that a bit before we then headed out to the pool with our dessert."

" _Paletas_ that I knew she liked," Skye replied. "Got another kiss for that one when I showed them to her."

"We just dipped our feet," Mary took over. "And talked again." Reaching over and taking her wife's hand, she said, "The most romantic date I'd ever been on."

* * *

 _"I have to admit I was a little surprised at the flavors they had when I went but they're great," Skye was saying when they'd finished the ice creams._

 _"I told you," Mary replied, smiling at her. She then leaned over, gently kissing her on the lips. "This has been a… great night."_

 _"You don't have to leave," Skye suddenly blurt out. When her girlfriend looked at her she couldn't stop the blush on her cheeks and said, "You can stay…"_

 _"In your room," Mary said easily. "I was hoping you might ask me so just in case I brought some clothes."_

 _"Okay," Skye whispered._

 _"Two women can share a bed platonically," Mary told her, wrapping her arm around her. Though she had told herself to take things slowly with Skye she couldn't stop herself, stroking her hair gently. "And you're going to see that tonight if you're sure."_

 _"If you ask me that you know you risk me saying I'm not," Skye replied, unable to protest her girlfriend's touch as it felt extremely soothing incredibly quickly._

 _"I think I know the answer already," Mary said. When Skye kissed her, she did her best not to smile before she wrapped her arms around her neck before they were kissing a little harder. She hesitated for a moment but finally decided to risk it and gently sank her tongue into Skye's mouth after running her tongue over it. She didn't try anything too heavy and instead pulled back enough to say, "You're sure you've never kissed anyone before?"_

 _"Never have," Skye said before she leaned into her and kissed her even harder._

* * *

"So, did you share your bed?" Castle asked them as the two women stopped there.

"We did and we had an interesting time getting ready together. But all we did was kiss goodnight and sleep," Mary replied. "We shared it a number of times after that before I moved in with her after we finally did become lovers."

"Did you ever go to her place?" Beckett asked, directing that to Skye.

"No, we seemed to enjoy mine better," Skye replied. "And I think we knew that she would be moving in with me."

"She had the full-blown house," Mary said, smiling at her wife. "And I saw it already as a great place to raise a family. And yes, I was thinking of that already."

"Sweet story," Castle said. "So that was it?"

"That was it; simpler than yours of course but then again our relationships weren't the same," Skye commented. She looked at her wife and said, "We'll need to go to bed now."

"I agree, we do too," Castle said, glancing at his wife momentarily before they followed the two women in getting out of the Jacuzzi.

"I miss my girls," Skye whispered to Beckett who was standing next to her. "I should have had them come and stay the night with their friends." She then realized who she was talking to and said, "Sorry I-"

"No," Beckett said quickly. "I understand, I'm the same even with our girls. If Julia stays the night at Mari's I'll question myself at least once why I didn't have her ask Mari over."

"I suppose we're fairly good parents with that," Skye said with a smile at her. "I was thinking, we're getting the girls to school early and after we do I think we should head down to the beach and that café again."

"That sounds great," Castle said. "What time should we be ready to go?"

"They need to be in school before eight… we leave at seven thirty to walk so once we're back we'll go," Mary told them. "Goodnight."

"Thanks for letting us listen in," Castle said to Skye.

"He's right, that was a great secret concert," Beckett was quick to add.

"You're very welcome," the investigator replied with a smile. "Goodnight."

"Night," Beckett said with her husband as they watched the two leaving. She wasn't surprised when Mary wrapped her arm tightly around her wife before Skye was doing the same back. "Come on," she said, tugging her husband's hand to get his attention. When she had she pulled him over to the guest house and they went inside heading straight for the shower.

After the two were cleaned up and in their pajamas Castle found that his wife was leading him again into the room and he couldn't find it in himself to stop her before she was stopping in front of the low and long dresser. He wrapped his arms around her as soon as she had turned to him and he held her close while they were embroiled in a heavy, passionate kiss. He didn't want to stop for a second and for a while he could do that before they slowly parted. "So," he said first, smiling widely at her as he couldn't help doing that.

"I know," Beckett replied in amusement. "I'm supposed to start this aren't I?"

"Not necessarily," Castle replied.

Sighing Beckett said, "You're not doing anything." When her husband shrugged she finally wrapped her arms back around him and kissed him as hard as she could until finally they parted and she took a step away from him, pulling her NYPD shirt over her head. When Castle leaned down and kissed her hard she allowed him to before she stopped him by tugging on the bottom of his shirt. When he pulled away she pulled up on it until finally he helped her in getting it off. Her hands were quick to run over his bare chest before he was grabbing her and holding her against him so their skin rubbed up against each other.

Loving the way his wife moaned Castle did his best to resist kissing her again as they worked together to undress one another. It took a little more time but finally they were both naked and he couldn't help saying, "Why did we even get dressed; towels would have been gotten rid of way faster."

Smiling Beckett stood on her toes enough to be able to kiss him and then lowered her feet as he was leaning over enough so he could take over. She allowed that for as long as she dared and then pulled away from him, stroking her hands over his chest again. As he grunted when her fingers ran around his nipples she felt a rush of desire until suddenly he was grabbing her wrists and then picking her up to place her onto the dresser. That movement let her expect what happened next and she held onto him tightly as his mouth descended onto her breasts. Her head falling back, she moaned in joy at the feel of him soon suckling at her until finally he was pulling away. "I didn't want this exactly," she said as he just stared at her.

"I know," Castle said quickly, helping her down. "I just wanted to-"

"I know," Beckett said, echoing him purposely. She smiled when he just looked at her and she leaned over, kissing him gently on the lips. "Help me," she then whispered against him.

Nodding; feeling that was the best he could do; Castle then helped her turn around before she was leaning slightly against the furniture, her hands on the top. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Mmm-hmm, but we can move," Beckett told him as she looked over her shoulder at him. "Just make sure you don't put me on top of this."

"I won't," Castle said before he then began to kiss around her shoulders that weren't covered by her hair. "Help me," he murmured to her to echo her from before. He hissed hard when she reached back to grasp his erection and together they got him inside of her. He pulled her arm away to keep her from moving him any more than he was and he stayed with just the very tip of himself within her.

"You…" Beckett breathed out, affected already with him there.

"I can't help it," Castle said, breathing hard already. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and he moved, sliding within her hard to her cry and his yell of pleasure until they were fully coupled together. "Ah… fuck you're so tight still," he swore as he paused so they could just feel one another.

"Please," Beckett begged as she was being driven crazy by them just standing still. A second later he moved and she cried out, doing so herself in reaction to him though it wasn't too steady. The smack of their hips made her shudder in pleasure before she finally found his rhythm that he'd set up and they were soon moving together in unison.

For a while the two were moving together wordlessly without moving anything else but their hips but finally Castle was leaning over and kissing at her shoulders. Something in him made him reach up in front of her and he grasped her right breast almost tightly until finally she was reaching behind her to grab onto him. They kissed passionately though it was a little awkward at first and finally they managed to slowly pull away. She looked at him the best she could before she finally spoke.

" _Fuck me harder_ Rick," Beckett told him breathily.

" _I am_ ," Castle replied, shuddering at her use of Irish. " _Tell me how you feel right now_."

"Oh!" Beckett gasped then he thrust harder against her when she didn't say anything in reaction to him. " _I-I feel… you're so deep… so rough and I can't… can't really… I won't be able to take it_!"

" _You can_ ," Castle whispered harshly to her. " _I'll make sure you will_ ," he said before he then stopped. He heard her whimper and kissed at her shoulders before he carefully pulled away from her. "I wasn't going to be able to take that for much longer," he told her.

"It doesn't matter," Beckett said before she drew him down to her for another kiss. She held onto his neck tightly while their tongues were dueling together and she soon after shuddered at the way his length was managing to rub against her. Finally, she stopped the kiss and said, "Will you manage?"

"Yeah," Castle said simply, knowing what she was asking already. He waited for her to spread her legs apart as much as they could comfortably go and he was lowering his body. The motion was awkward but he didn't stop until finally he was thrusting up inside of her. They both groaned and at the same time he felt a thrill since it was highly pleasurable with her still so tight and by then incredibly wet. He pulled away and then thrust in again, loving the motion her sex made to let him go before drawing him back in. He did that very slowly at first until his wife was urging him with panting breath to fuck her and since he couldn't stop himself from fulfilling her request he was off.

Her nails digging into her husband's scalp Beckett could feel the pleasure come to her instantaneously. She couldn't really move that well in that position but didn't care as with her legs spread her husband was managing to strike against her clit as well. She let out short cries for some time; unsure how long in the end; until the sharp shock each strike of his body against her swollen nub gave her along with the friction that was rough where they were joined made her beg him to slow down. "Oh… yes, please just like that," she breathed out in joy as she could feel him in better detail. She was wet but the end of him was different enough for her to still sense it. "You… my hips…" she told him.

Shuddering hard Castle realized what she was talking about and he said, "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Beckett cried. She let out another one when he suddenly picked her up and she nearly thought that he was going to place her against the wall. But he carried her to what was his nightstand and she looked over her shoulder as he swept everything off with his arm. The motion made her desire grow even more and when he was thrusting against her again she was holding him to her, moving and crying out as hard as she could in reaction to him and him back so deeply within her. She lost track of time easily again as her husband was working very determinedly on her and she was startled when all of a sudden he stopped and she looked at him, wondering what he would say.

"Too close," Castle told her, breathing harshly. "Do you want me to move?" he then asked, nodding over to the bed quickly. When she shook her head just as fast he sucked in a deep breath of air before he proceeded to move again. He heard the nightstand rocking in response to them immediately but didn't stop or take her to the bed as he knew he probably should do. Feeling the way she was holding onto him he knew she didn't have any protest either to them staying there. He had told himself to stop again to draw things out longer but he couldn't stop his thrusting as the pleasure was too intense. How long they were moving after that he had no idea, only that it was getting harder to ignore the literal flame his body was in especially where they were coupled. He kissed her as often as he could, fighting with her tongue until she suddenly pulled away. "Come for me my love," he begged her, knowing what that meant. He kissed around her neck and then told her, "I can feel you so close Kate, come for me and I'll do whatever you want. Just let me worship you."

As her husband had managed to rub at her clit at the same time Beckett couldn't say anything as her pleasure was overwhelming her. Something deep within her seemed to snap and after a brief pause she was moving her hips a little wildly against him as she cried out his name. What felt like an instant later; which was in fact a few more seconds; she could feel her husband calling her name as he joined her. A second later he was tilting her hips and her nails dug in deeply to his back in reaction. The nightstand was making even more noise than before and she hoped in the back of her mind that they weren't going to break it. Eventually she was slowing down and breathing hard before she held her husband against her body as he made two more last, rough thrusts and stopped, nearly collapsing. That worried her and she pulled him over to the bed saying, "We should have come over here sooner."

"Well…" Castle said slowly as he was still recovering, pushed up on his hands to look at the nightstand. "We didn't break that so that's a bonus."

Beckett shook her head, though she was smiling, when her husband's head suddenly whipped around to look at her. "What?" she asked in surprise.

"You're supposed to be lying down," Castle replied, touching her so she would do so.

Though she wanted to comment Beckett eventually lay on her back as he was turning. "No pillows," she said quickly to him as she realized what he was reaching for.

"You sure?" Castle asked in slight surprise, looking at her.

"I'm sure," Beckett said simply. She then watched as he sat next to her and reached for his hand, taking it and squeezing it saying, "We were supposed to not think about it."

"You're the one who told me about your hips," Castle said defensively. When she just smiled at him he couldn't help himself, leaning over and kissing her tenderly before he slowly moved away. "What do you want to do next?" he asked.

"We already did," Beckett replied easily. "Now it's your turn."

Breathing out Castle said, "I had wanted us to pleasure each other for a while but… that might be a little difficult to do now."

"Get a washcloth," Beckett said easily.

"Not just that, you're supposed to keep-" Castle started to say in protest.

"Get the washcloth Rick," Beckett replied, sitting up and crossing her legs into the lotus position. As her husband was quick to get up she then told him, "Better get two. And don't touch yourself."

"Wasn't planning on it," Castle replied, smiling at her tone of voice. He was quick to wet two washcloths and when he got back to his wife he said, "Remember what I said about you bossing men around?"

"Not like this," Beckett said simply.

"You never did that?" Castle asked as he handed her one of the cloths.

"No," Beckett said easily as she was lying down again. She started breathing hard almost immediately as he was cleaning her sex and being exceptionally meticulous about it very swiftly.

Castle kept an eye on his wife as he cleaned her off and once he was sure he'd done so enough he said, "How-" before he was cutting himself off as she was grasping his erection with the washcloth in her hand.

Looking at her husband closely while she was gently rubbing the washcloth up and down his erection that hadn't abated yet Beckett leaned over to kiss him. She had to push herself up slightly to do that but didn't care as he was quick to respond to her. But at the same time as they were carefully rolling their tongues around each other she could feel him groaning in pleasure into her mouth as she was deliberate in cleaning him. Finally though she knew she couldn't do anymore without setting him off so she carefully pulled away from him. "How-" she began before all of a sudden she was on her back. "You-" she tried to speak again. A second later her husband was kissing her and she found she didn't really care about being interrupted as she was wrapping her arms around his neck tightly.

Castle made that kiss as heavy as he could, his tongue back in her mouth once more. He was making it roll around hers before she responded to him until finally she carefully pulled away. "I need to start," he said.

"Don't worry, I'm ready," Beckett replied. She was startled when; instead of going to her sex that she'd been expecting; he went to her neck and kissed around it gently until he slid to the hollow of her throat. She cried out in joy as he nipped along the edges of it and then told him, "Everything you do to me right now I'm doing the exact same to you," her voice distorted with her pleasure.

"You don't h-" Castle began to say as he pulled back enough to look at her. He was startled when his wife covered his mouth with her hand and when he finally nodded she moved and he went back, kissing his way back and forth down her chest until he was at her breasts. There he pulled back again; that time to be able to look at the mounds as she breathed harshly; and he murmured to her, "Do you doubt I love these still?"

"No but you should still show me," Beckett said immediately. When her husband smirked slightly at her she felt her heart pound a little faster; she couldn't deny that he was incredibly attractive when he did that; and she tried to pull him down to her for a kiss. But he avoided her hands and instead leaned down to kiss around her mounds, making her cry out immediately in her pleasure as that was instant. Eventually she reached up to him and began to stroke at his head as he made sure to pepper every inch of her breasts until he was pulling back. "You-" she began to say, breathless and panting. He cut her off by taking her right nipple into his mouth and she let out a long and heavy moan as he suckled very gently at her. She had a vague thought about his knee; since he was on them and on one elbow; but when his right hand began to caress and then twist gently on her other nipple that thought flew out of her mind.

Castle couldn't deny that though he was so heavily aroused as he loved what he was doing at that moment. The way his wife writhed underneath him; that he could feel being so close to her; was stimulating him and he tried his best to keep working on her breasts as he moved to the other to repeat the same action there. For a while he managed to focus on her before finally he pulled away and went straight to her scar between her mounds. He kissed gently around it at first before he then kissed it directly, as softly as he could to her quiet gasp of delight, before he went down her body to her abdomen. Kissing around her there he could hear her moans and cries still and he did his best to keep from rushing down to her sex until finally he had managed to reach it.

At the first touch of her husband's tongue against her clit Beckett was crying out softly until he took it with his mouth. As he proceeded to suck on it she reached down for his head and grasped it a little tighter than she meant to, wanting to have a distraction from the pleasure that was thrumming through her entire body. She became lost to the sensation of her husband's sucks and licks until he was moving his tongue inside of her; all of it culminating in heat that inundated her completely. She broke the second he brought his hand into play and she cried out his name as her orgasm was swift and very strong. The ecstasy was making her almost dizzy but she managed to feel every second of it until finally it abated and she was breathing heavily as he kissed his way back up to her so he could lie next to her. "Thank you," she sighed as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm happy to do that. And I mean that literally, I am," Castle said before he nuzzled her temple a little. Pulling back, he murmured her name and kissed her before he hesitated. But Beckett was quick to bring him back to her so he responded to her again and they held onto each other tightly until they parted. "Okay, so we should go to sleep," he panted as they stared at each other.

"Sit up," Beckett said with a smile as she was doing so herself. She wasn't surprised when her husband scrambled to follow her before she cupped his face with her hands and brought him to her. They kissed deeply but more sensuously than passionately and she let him continue until she stopped him by pulling away. "I almost forgot," she said with another smile at him.

"Forgot what?" Castle asked, startled. He was startled again when she shoved him onto his back and his eyes were wide as she pressed her hands to the middle of his chest, leaning over so her hair covered either side of his head. "I… you don't have to," he breathed as he realized what she was talking about.

Not replying Beckett merely smirked at him and when he groaned she had the idea that he felt the same about her doing that as she did him. She then leaned down and brushed her lips to his chest before she moved to his jaw. Kissing along it she eventually made her way down to his neck; flicking her tongue out as well as she couldn't stop herself. She could feel how tense he was while she was doing that and felt a thrill as a heavy groan escaped his lips. Once she had moved down over his shoulders she sped up a little bit until she reached his left nipple first. There she sat up and started to caress him, doing so repeatedly as his breath was going in and out through his clenched teeth in a hiss.

Though his hands were clenched tightly on the sheet Castle reached up to his wife with his right hand, cupping the back of her head. As he felt the warmth from her he was able to speak and he told her quickly, "I don't want you to take me all the way."

Looking into his eyes Beckett said, "What do you have in mind?" When he gestured for her to come over to him she leaned her head close. She immediately shivered when he whispered into her ear; moving her hair that was draped over it; and when he told her what he wanted she bit her lower lip. "I think we can manage that," she told him. "Just tell me when to stop."

"Of course," Castle said, waiting for her to lower her head to him again. She was going straight for his nipples, which was no surprise, and it was even less when she started to suck on them almost hungrily. He caressed her hair before she moved down suddenly and kissed her way over his abdomen before finally she was at his erection. He tensed slightly when she took him into her mouth and proceeded to bob her head up and down on him. She went slowly at first before she then slowly sped up until finally she was going rapidly. She was surprised a little to hear her husband literally gurgling above her but didn't stop; knowing from the few times he'd done that that he was enjoying it immensely. Working over him she tried to keep her hand away from him though she was itching to use it and was relieved when finally her husband was getting up and pulling her away from him. "Enough?" she asked with a smile.

Castle's response to that was to literally crush his lips to his wife's and for some time they were grabbing onto one another tightly before he pulled her onto him so she straddled him. " _I adore you_ ," he said huskily once they'd managed to part.

"Hmm, _so do I_ ," Beckett replied. "What do you want now?" she asked, rising above him so she could take him within her. She bit at her lower lip when he grasped himself and she started to move down. But to her slight shock he held his length flat and brought her down so it was parallel to her sex. "Are you sure?" she asked him.

"Yeah," Castle said, trying not to clench his teeth together so he could speak. "Just… it'll be good."

"You'll come… oh! You'll come inside me, right?" Beckett asked, stopping as the pleasure in her was strong before she continued.

"I'll watch you so I… so I do," Castle stammered, too eager to speak for a moment as they were creating friction even not being inside of her. He brought her down to him so they could kiss and he held onto her tightly, running his hands around her back at the same time.

Beckett leaned over to whisper into her husband's ear and when he looked at her immediately she nodded and kissed him deeply. She was pleased when he almost instantly slapped her ass; as she'd requested; and her toes literally curled when he did it a second time. "Oh… god," she gasped as he grasped her with one hand before he brought his other down to her to cup her ass fully. "If I didn't ask y-you'd never do it," she breathed to him as they were still moving against one another.

"You need to want it," Castle said before she suddenly moved so his member was rising to rest on his stomach again. He grunted when his wife moved to almost squish it between them and he said, "Didn't mean for that to happen," before he tried to grasp it. He couldn't though as her hand was there before him and she was moving that hand up and down slowly. "Kate," he nearly hissed to her in pleasure before she was putting him back to how he'd been before. He moved his hands to her hips to hold her there as she was moving and he groaned heavily while she gasped and cried his name. "Wait," he said suddenly, looking between them. As she looked on he reached down and parted her folds to reveal her clit and with a shudder he forced himself to speak saying, "Angle down your hips so you can rub that against me."

Though she wanted to say something to that Beckett found she could only nod so she did and leaned down enough to kiss him as at the same time she angled down her hips as he'd said. Her first thrust doing that made her cry out in pleasure before her husband was pulling her to his lips for a kiss. She responded enthusiastically to him and they continued in that vein for some time before she needed to pull away to catch her breath. "You… I'm so glad I have you," she breathed to him.

"Just for this?" Castle asked, stammering slightly.

"There's more but… this feels…" Beckett started to say, wondering briefly if she was delirious. "Perfect," she finally finished with before she kissed him. They held onto each other as tightly as they could and they began to go into more kisses before they finally parted and she began to cry out telling him, "I think… I'm going to come Rick!" A second later she was falling onto her back and for one breathless moment the anticipation was almost too much before he sank inside of her. She was climaxing immediately and almost screaming his name as her nails scrabbled against his shoulders. When he began to yell her name, she was trying to hold onto her consciousness before she could pass out.

Hearing the way his wife was crying out and then saying his name in rhythm with the waves of ecstasy going through them both Castle was surprised when they didn't climax again. But what they felt was more than enough their one orgasm and when he finally stopped; well after she had; he was kissing around her lips and neck until she stopped him. "Sorry," he said breathlessly as he looked at her.

"Don't, you just need to relax," Beckett replied with a smile. When her husband nodded seriously she leaned up enough so she could kiss him and after laying back she told him, "That was amazing."

"Oh, I know," Castle said in agreement. He then carefully pulled out of her and laid next to her, wrapping his arm around her as soon as she came to him. "What is it?" he asked when she was quiet for a long time.

"I miss them," Beckett admitted to her husband, turning onto her side to press her cheek against his shoulder. "Skye was talking earlier about missing her girls and I couldn't help think the same."

Castle pressed his lips to her forehead and said, "So do I, we're not going to be doing this again for a long time."

"Not unless they could come with us," Beckett commented.

"No," Castle agreed though he knew that was unlikely as their books would come out in September. He turned to lay on his side and looking at her said, "Do you think we'll get called in early tomorrow?"

"No, Skye definitely doesn't think so," Beckett replied. "And look at how long it took for them to fully clear the three of us," she reminded him.

Thinking about that for a moment Castle nodded and said, "Great then I can do this." And with that he was literally lunging at his wife and he soon after sank into her as she parted her legs almost instantly for him.

They were rough and a little quick though neither Castle nor Beckett were aware of that as they were too focused on their delight moving together.

When they'd finally stopped they were kissing lazily and when Castle had pulled away from her Beckett said, "You want to keep me under you tonight?"

"Not really," Castle said. He was startled when his wife almost gave him a look and he said, "I'll leave that up to you."

"You were supposed to answer yes," Beckett told him easily.

"Then yes, yes I would," Castle said quickly. When his wife laughed softly he leaned over to her and kissed her slowly, sensuously, until they needed to breathe again.

Beckett was going to speak when her husband's hand pressed flat to her abdomen and she murmured, "You can't stop thinking about it can you?"

"It's hard," Castle said with a slight sigh. "You?"

"No," Beckett said simply as she covered his hand with her own. She squeezed it gently and told him, "I know we're trying now love."

"A lot," Castle commented. He looked down at her as she laughed softly and he kissed her gently before he said, "It'll just take some time."

"Mmm," Beckett replied. She wasn't surprised when her husband reacted to her touch as she pulled him to her and he was above her again. As she'd done through that night she wrapped her legs around his waist and she said as he leaned down to her, "I love you Rick."

"I love you too Kate," Castle said before he closed the space between them and kissed her.

The two continued to do so until they parted and staring into each other's eyes they began to move, making love to one another as if they were taking a break from their frantic desire. Their need was still very heavy and they knew that the instant they finished they would soon after be rough again. But at that moment they were enjoying their careful pace, continuing to kiss and give each other pleasure as they held onto one another tightly to become even closer than they already, blissfully, were.


	18. Patience And Time

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: As always really pleased to get the feedback for the last chapter so let me get to my thank you for that! TORONTOSUN (Very happy that you thought the songs I had in the chapter were good choices, since I love the songs myself. And I'm not too surprised you know Mull of Kintyre; I just mention that because I know Paul usually performs that in your country since that song did better there than in my country. And glad you thought the second half of the chapter was good writing too!),  
MsNYC (It was really nice that you find Skye and Mary too cute, as you put it, and I'm glad I put in the flashbacks about them! I wasn't too surprised to see you wanting there to be one more baby for Castle and Beckett after you read the love scenes in the chapter. And I'm so pleased you loved Skye's band that much, I didn't know how readers would react to them so to see your response was great!) and  
vetgirlmx (So happy to see first off that you loved the chapter. And it was great that you thought it was really fun since I had wanted this one to be after they were investigating the case. Oh also great that you love what they're planning to do with the videos, seemed a likely option, lol. And yeah, if I were in a band I would use what I had them doing to have fun but improve too since it helps to practice. And yeah, lol, I had intended it to be a rehearsal but it just went full concert though really small, or private as you said. I'm not surprised you laughed a little when the last song turned it to more than that, lol, that was me not able to resist, lol, and imagining Skye wouldn't be able to either though she might have protested a bit. You're also right, that'll happen when people have a good time as you said. I'm glad you'd like to see the videos, me too 'cause it would be great to see Skye in real life, lol, also to see the performances. But yeah, Beckett's right in that Julia will love the videos, lol. So pleased you like them maybe going to India together. And I'm also happy you do like new characters that're nice. I had to laugh though at you mentioning the tour bus… I would really need to look into that; also maybe have them do what Paul did back in the '70's on tour and get a smaller passenger plane for their use, lol, but maybe just the bus. Don't worry, I actually was wanting to go really fast through the murder writing it so I could get to the party, lol, so I know how you feel 'cause now I want to post it, lol. I'm so, so happy that you can't wait to see what happens next, and now you don't need to wait anymore for that! Not sure if I put in Julia's reaction to the videos; I think I did; but I'm glad you're eager to know!).  
Thanks so much for the reviews, loved reading them and appreciate the time taken to write them out and send them to me!

A/N #2: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song _Got My Mind Set on You_ written by Rudy Clark, the version I've taken from is performed by George Harrison from his album _Cloud Nine_.

Patience And Time

Breathing a little harshly Beckett ran her hand down her husband's chest as he was above her, looking down at her, and she said, "There are times I wonder about you."

Since that was said in a teasing tone of voice Castle could smile before he told her, "I told you before I can't explain it. And I'm going to say that most likely it's you that's arousing me so consistently.

"You're welcome," Beckett replied easily. She laughed softly as Castle was quick to bow his head and nip at her neck. "Stop they're likely almost finished with breakfast."

Looking over at the clock on his nightstand Castle was surprised for a moment to find it gone before he suddenly recalled the night before. "It's…" he began, reaching for his watch which he'd taken off when they'd gone to sleep finally. "It's seven fifteen; they're probably still getting ready."

Beckett gave a mock sigh before she kissed him and told him, "That was the last time though."

"If you're sure," Castle replied. When she pressed closer to him he had his answer there and he kissed her deeply before he said as he held her tight, "Since we're not signing books anymore what would you like to do when we finish the case?"

"Here or San Diego?" Beckett asked him.

"Both," Castle said.

"I really don't know," Beckett replied after thinking for a moment. "We need to ask Skye and Mary that. I wish we could have gone to Disneyland."

"It's worth it," Castle said so rapidly he knew he'd given away what he'd felt about that. "I am serious though," he said as he looked at her.

"You better be," Beckett replied, leaning over and kissing his jaw a few times. "But again, we'll find something Rick."

Rubbing his hand over her shoulder Castle said, "I wonder about going to the beach house."

"Not this time," Beckett replied quickly. "I think I'd rather stay around here."

"Okay," Castle said. "We need to do something for them."

"We talked about that already," Beckett said simply. "But did you think of anything?"

"Not really," Castle replied. "Dinner?"

"Well they are going to San Diego with us…" Beckett began. "The zoo again?"

"We could," Castle replied. "A couples day though we'd separate."

"Or museum at the park," Beckett pointed out to him.

"We'll let them decide," Castle said with a nod. "Our treat." He was going to speak then when the alarm he'd set on his phone the night before started to ring and he groaned before saying, "We could stay longer."

"Another day," Beckett said with a smile on her face as she was getting up. "When we don't have a case."

"Fine," Castle said begrudgingly before he followed her.

The two quickly got dressed before they were meeting downstairs at the small kitchen and they made cups of tea together to have something to drink. They looked out the window next to the door before they looked at one another, seeing who would say it first as they were already aware of what the other was thinking of.

"We should let them go on their own," Beckett told her husband.

"Good idea but what do you want to do now?" Castle asked as he looked at her.

"Come on," Beckett said, finishing her tea. She rinsed out her mug as her husband was doing the same before she went out to the yard, seeing in the front that the gate was just closing. "We have at least fifteen minutes."

"Why don't we check out their front yard?" Castle asked her. "We never really did that."

With a nod Beckett let him take her hand and they walked along the driveway leading to the garage on the side of the house. She studied the front a little more closely than she had before and she said, "It fits."

"Either that or she was taking Paul's song to heart," Castle commented as it looked like an English garden.

"Not fully," Beckett said in protest. "There are other flowers… but I can see what you mean," she finished with a smile as he was looking at her.

Castle followed her over to one of the rose bushes that were still in bloom and he asked, "The weather must be great here."

"It is," Beckett replied. "Stand next to that hollyhock."

"It's tall," Castle said, looking over at her as he paused in mid-step.

Smiling Beckett said, "I thought you might."

Shrugging Castle went over to a rose bush with some pink tingeing the ends of the yellow petals and he picked one, taking off the thorns as carefully as he could.

"I hope she won't be mad at you," Beckett said in amusement as she took the bloom, sniffing the flower.

"Who, Skye or Mary?" Castle asked.

"Either one," Beckett replied. She was going to speak again when her husband suddenly took the rose from her and she asked, "You're going back?"

"There's a bud vase in that kitchen," Castle replied as he was walking away from her. "I'll be back."

Beckett shook her head; as she was smiling; and then looked over the rest of the yard. The driveway; a gravel lane that diverted to the left when it reached the house; took up the side of the front yard but there was still enough room for the plants, a bench and café table under the shade of some oak trees. She turned back to the house and something in her recalled the story the two women had told her and Castle about their first date and she smiled as she saw the view of the house Mary had had that evening. She wasn't sure what made her think of it but an idea came to mind and she looked to her side before she heard the gate behind her opening and at the same time Castle walked up to her.

"Great, I'm starving," Castle commented when he was close to his wife.

Rolling her eyes Beckett said, "Always have to think with your stomach."

"Not always," Castle said. "Good morning," he directed to the two women. "I hate to ask this right away but anything from Corey?"

"No, I gave him a call but he promised that he would call once they were finished or got something," Skye replied. "Morning to you both; sleep alright?"

" _Grá_ ," Mary said immediately.

"What? It's an honest question," Skye said simply.

"We slept fine," Beckett assured them. "And you?"

"Great," Mary said, glancing at her wife when she didn't reply first. "Are you hungry? We only had some coffee so we're ready to get down to the beach."

"He is," Beckett replied, gesturing to her husband with her thumb. "So we should go."

"We'll take one car," Skye said as they then walked over to the garage. "Ours this time."

Since the investigator was driving to the beach the trip was a short one and once they were in the parking lot for the little café Skye went straight to the host while Mary led Castle and Beckett to the table they'd sat at the year before.

"What are you going to do if it takes more time until we're called in?" Beckett asked once they were sitting and looking at the ocean.

"Skye wants to walk along the path," Mary replied, nodding to it since they were near it. "Which translates to on the beach."

"You don't like doing that?" Castle asked with a smile.

"She doesn't," Skye said, coming over with their waitress. After they were left with the menus she said, "I'll walk along the beach; you lot can walk on the path."

"I'll join you," Beckett said.

"I guess I'll keep you company Mary," Castle said. "Don't worry," he said, raising his hand to the woman as she opened her mouth to speak. "I don't feel like having sand in my socks or shoes while we're investigating."

"Okay," Skye said, setting down her menu. "Something I wanted to ask you about that you mentioned in an e-mail Kate."

"Sure," Beckett said, not sure what that would be since she talked to the woman about a lot via their e-mails to one another.

"You said Eliza saw a spirit at their school," Skye said.

"That's right," Mary said. "Skye told me and it was a shock though she reminded me about you."

"So you do think it's hereditary," Castle said.

"It is, Marie and Kath don't show any disposition to what I have," Skye answered. "But they'll sense things though I think most people can do that. Now with Eliza; you said that she saw a man?"

"Likely connected to when the property was a farm," Castle said. "The elementary school was built on top of it. What I'm wondering about that is why now… or then?"

"She's getting older," Skye said after thinking about that for a moment. "Her ability seems to have developed now that they're appearing to her."

"Anything to say?" Mary asked, looking at Beckett. "Or was everything in your e-mail?"

"I don't really know what else I could say," she answered with a sigh. "I don't want her to have that kind of life."

"I doubt she'd try to help the police," Skye commented. "The few mediums I've met that are legitimate have never done that."

"Never?" Beckett asked

"They've never sensed enough to help," Skye replied with a shrug. "And they wanted to keep out of the spotlight."

"I've never met one… or spoken to one," Beckett said as she'd told her friend about the 'mediums' that had tried to help her on her cases.

"You wouldn't try to suppress that in her, would you?" Mary asked, sounding concerned.

"Oh no," Beckett replied quickly. She smiled a little and said, "I told you I told her what to say to these spirits."

"That works well; and gives her time to grow up and see what she wants to do with the ability," Skye said with a nod.

Castle was going to speak when their waitress came over to them and they needed to order before he could do so. "What about Julia?" he then asked.

Breathing out slowly Skye said, "Hers is a different case. I want to say that something triggered this in her and more recently as she's a little old for this to have started suddenly."

"She always had the connection she does with Kate," Castle quickly pointed out.

"That was the beginning," Skye said.

"Then that would mean something happened to trigger her other ability," Mary said since her wife was looking at her.

"Something like that," Skye said.

"But what?" Beckett was quick to ask. "Nothing has ever happened to her… nothing like Queens anyways."

"You said she noticed something in Vegas," Skye began.

"She did," Beckett answered, Castle nodding his head next to her. "So something around there."

"It would seem like it," Skye said.

"I wouldn't worry though," Mary added.

"She's right," Skye said. "It could have been a dream or something happened at school. Did she fall or anything around then?"

"She fell riding her new bike before we went to Vegas," Castle said.

"But that simple?" Beckett asked.

"That simple," Skye echoed with a nod. "But don't worry as long as she keeps control and keeps these spirits out…"

"I have to tell her that," Beckett said, looking at her husband.

"When we talk to her tonight," Castle said with a nod.

Their food was served then and the four began to eat, the discussion going to the party that was going to be held that night.

"You two don't need to join us," Beckett eventually said to them as they were finishing up their food.

"She's right, you were missing your girls last night she told me," Castle said.

"And we'll see them again after you leave," Mary said.

Catching the hesitancy in her wife's voice Skye took her hand and said, "We'll stay in if that's alright. Since we're leaving for San Diego we should spend time with them love. Though I do feel bad you'll be there without friends."

"It's alright, it gives us an excuse to leave sooner," Beckett said, smiling at her husband.

"She's right, it is," Castle said, smiling back at her. He was going to pay for their meal when Skye took the bill and handed it over to Mary. "Next one's on us," he told them.

"Sure," the two women said at the same time.

"Let's go down to the water then," Skye commented after she'd taken a look at her phone. They got up and when they stepped onto the path she told her wife, "If we're still not called in I say we walk up to the Promenade."

"Do you want to go to the bookstore?" Castle asked.

"No," Skye said, pausing as she and Beckett were taking off their boots and socks. "Anywhere but there really." She glanced up at the two watching them and with a brief smile said, "CSU found everything they could anyway. No, I'd like to push aside the case for as long as possible."

"Come back to us when you're ready to come back here," Mary told her wife before the two walked away from her and Castle down the sand.

"Do you two do this sometimes?" Beckett asked Skye as they were walking in the water, their trousers rolled up to keep away from the breaking waves.

"Occasionally; usually spring and fall since that's the best time," Skye replied with a smile. "Less people." She glanced at her friend and said, "What's on your mind?"

"Am I that transparent?" Beckett replied, looking over at her.

"I can just tell; my intuition," Skye said. "What is it?"

Taking a quick glance up the beach at their spouses Beckett then turned back to Skye and said, "There's something I'm wondering that I would like to know about."

"Okay," Skye said slowly, speculating what that was exactly as her friend was slightly hesitant.

Breathing out heavily Beckett said, "Tell me what it's like being with a woman."

"You mean sleeping with one?" Skye asked.

"Yes," Beckett said simply. "I'm not asking because I want-"

"I know," Skye said as she held up her hand to stop her friend from continuing. "For Julia, I'd assume?" When Beckett nodded she became thoughtful before she began to laugh and said, "Oh I see, when she asks what it's like making love with a woman; the actual way to perform that; you want to tell her and don't want her to go to me."

"It's selfish I'm sure," Beckett began before she paused.

"No, you're her mother so it makes sense," Skye replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "And are you sure you couldn't just say? I'm sure you know how things work out."

"For male satisfaction, yes," Beckett replied. "I need to know from you what emotions there were, what you could do for each other. How did you figure things out?"

Skye breathed out softly before she finally said, "Do you want me to tell you anything in detail?"

"Not completely but just enough so I can get an idea of what you've gone through," Beckett said, getting the feeling her friend was leaning towards agreeing.

"I see what you're saying," Skye finally said after she had been thinking very obviously. "I suppose the only thing to tell you about that would help you is our first time together. But mind you I'm not going into detail."

"You don't need to," Beckett said with a nod of her head.

"Okay," Skye breathed out before she then began. She couldn't help smiling as she spoke, remembering that night in far greater detail than she what she was actually telling her friend.

* * *

 _"Do you want something to drink? They have a mini-bar," Mary was saying to the investigator._

 _"I'd prefer to be sober," Skye said quickly, slightly smiling at her. She sat down on the edge of their bed before Mary moved to join her. As soon as her girlfriend had she couldn't stop herself, leaping up almost to go to the window across from them._

 _"I'm nervous too you know," Mary said as she stood next to her, looking out at what they could see of the ocean._

 _"You don't really seem to be," Skye told her as she faced her._

 _"I am," Mary said gently. "Now come on, we can look at the view later."_

 _"Okay," Skye said, relieved that her voice wasn't cracking as if she was a teenage boy while her girlfriend led her over to the bed._

* * *

"You definitely have to let her know that it's natural to be nervous," Skye said. "Even though I knew what to expect I was still terrified." She then glanced at Beckett and asked, "What about you?"

"My first time I was… and the second. By the third I thought something was wrong with me so it wasn't so much nerves as concern," Beckett replied.

"Did you ever do that without protection?" Skye couldn't help asking.

"No, I had double because I was terrified of becoming a mother before I was ready or a lawyer like my mom. Basically at the point where I could support any children," Beckett said.

"So was Rick the first one in that respect?" Skye said.

"He was," Beckett said simply. "Keep going," she told her firmly.

"Alright, I got distracted for a moment," Skye replied, shelving the other question she had. "We were on the bed and if you're really going to tell her this say that even holding hands works to begin things." She smiled when Beckett looked at her in surprise and then continued her story.

* * *

 _"I almost thought you'd be ripping up my clothes," Skye told Mary as they were sitting on the edge of the bed next to each other, holding hands._

 _"If you were receptive to that I would have," Mary said simply. "I can tell you're still unsure."_

 _"I just don't want to make this bad for you," Skye explained._

 _"And you don't think I want this to go well for you?" Mary asked._

 _Hearing the slight offense in her girlfriend's tone Skye leaned over and kissed her tenderly on the lips. Sitting up straight again she said, "I'm sorry. Then why don't we discuss what we should do… this first time for us both."_

 _With a smile Mary kissed her briefly and said, "There are a few things we can do… our hands, or mouths… even our legs."_

 _"Were you ever interested in that scissoring position?" Skye asked._

 _"Maybe one day; but not the first time it feels too impersonal," Mary replied. "Here, stand up with me okay?"_

* * *

"The best thing to do is to talk about it," Skye said. "You and Rick?"

"Sometimes… our first time we actually didn't," Beckett said after she'd paused to recall that. "We were too… impatient since it'd taken four years to get to that point."

"That would stand to reason," Skye said with a nod. "If Mary and I weren't a bit faster ourselves we might have been like that. Okay, so with the story I suppose the next most important thing you want to say is that making sure you're both ready is imperative."

"And how did Mary do that with you?" Beckett asked her.

Cursing her flushed cheeks Skye said, "You'd wonder considering how unsure I told you I was." When Beckett nodded she then proceeded to tell her what had happened as she recalled again.

* * *

 _"We're taking these off now?" Skye asked as her girlfriend reached for the buttons of her blouse._

 _"I wasn't planning on making love with our clothes still on, so yes," Mary replied. She then placed her hands on Skye's shoulders telling her, "If you just want to sleep-"_

 _"No," Skye nearly blurted out as she reached for Mary's hands. "I'm still nervous."_

 _"I know," the woman said gently, reaching for her hands so she could squeeze them. "We'll take it slowly, I promise."_

 _Skye had to fight with herself a little before she finally nodded her head and breathed out saying, "Okay."_

 _"Okay," Mary echoed, smiling lovingly at her. She leaned up to her at that point and they kissed gently before she wrapped her arms around her neck and deepened it._

 _When they'd been doing that for a while Skye felt herself relax and when they stopped kissing she let her girlfriend help her with her blouse. They took turns undressing one another and she looked at Mary fully; having stopped herself from doing that until she was bare to her. "You're… bloody fantastic," she breathed._

 _Blushing at how firm her voice was Mary wrapped her arms around Skye and brushed her lips to hers saying, "Thank you; so are you."_

 _Skye nodded quickly before she was about to lead her girlfriend over to the bed but before she could Mary was stepping away from her. She had the intense urge to cover her body before she noticed her girlfriend was nearly chewing at her lower lip. "I… so I guess you'd like to eat me," she tried to say jokingly. When Mary merely looked up at her she laughed, slightly higher pitched than normal, and said, "You want to do that already?"_

 _"Maybe in the morning before we go home," the woman replied, reaching out and gently cupping Skye's breasts. When she felt a slight tensing of her girlfriend's body Mary wasn't surprised and she carefully kissed her before letting her go. Leading her to the bed they lay down together and kissed again before she tried to touch her again. That time though she ran her hand along her side slowly, relishing the tremble Skye gave her._

 _The investigator leaned over and kissed Mary before she laid onto her back at her girlfriend's insistence. Though she was still nervous Skye let her touch her body, her temperature rising and heartbeat pounding rapidly. She couldn't hesitate anymore, her need overwhelming her until finally they were moving around and beginning to make love, her sigh of, "I love you," soon echoed by her girlfriend before they were lost in each other._

* * *

"Skye? Skye!"

"What?" the investigator replied, shaking herself and looking at Beckett.

"I'm glad you didn't tell me what you were thinking just now," she told her teasingly.

"Me too," Skye replied.

"But you had said the I love yous by then?" Beckett asked her.

"We'd said them a week before," Skye replied. "It was why we'd talked about taking a more physical step, instead of just verbal."

"Took us a little longer," Beckett commented. "Well," she said in hesitation. "Me."

"That's not a surprise," Skye said, nodding her head. "But I hope that was explanation enough."

"It was, at least now I'll know what I should say if she asks," Beckett replied.

"You do," Skye said simply. She stopped then and said, "Let me know whenever that happens."

"Why?" Beckett asked.

"I'll let you explain it to her still I'm just wondering what happens when you do," Skye explained.

"I will," Beckett replied with a nod. She then looked at Mary and asked, "You guys use toys, right?"

"Yes," Skye said hesitantly, looking at her closely.

"How long before you lost that last bit of your virginity?" Beckett asked, wondering at the same time what her reaction would be.

"I think you and I might be similar in this," Skye said with a smile on her face at the question. "I think my earlier horseback riding days tore it so it was essentially gone."

"True," Beckett said. "But it was still uncomfortable."

"I'll agree, I'm glad Mary and I are way past that," Skye said. "And that brings me to something I wanted to ask and that my hetero friends won't tell me."

"Sexually related?" Beckett guessed.

"Yes, is it really uncomfortable being a woman once the sex is over?" Skye asked.

Laughing and then looking over at their spouses to see if they'd noticed, Beckett then said, "For me no."

"Then what does it feel like?" Skye said. "I always wondered but of course I never wanted to actually feel that myself."

"Of course," Beckett said. She thought for a moment of how to explain it before she then said, "It's wet and you're both throbbing. That's the best I can explain it without getting into what'll likely gross you out."

"You're starting that already," Skye said before she smiled at her. "Alright, let's change the subject to something less adult. What are you wearing for the party?"

"I think my blue dress," Beckett said thoughtfully. "My cocktail dress," she added hurriedly.

"I didn't think you'd brought your wedding dress," Skye said with a smile.

" _Grá_ ," drifted down to them then, making the two stop.

"I think she's tired of walking," Skye said, smiling over at her wife. "We should go."

"Yeah, I get the feeling if there's no call yet we're going to be able to go over the whole Promenade," Beckett commented as they made their way up over the sand to the path.

"We're nearly in Malibu _grá_ ," Mary said to her wife.

"What can I say, we were talking," Skye commented. "Hopefully you had a nice conversation."

"We did," Castle replied. "Mostly about Christmas and Spring Break plans."

"And what did you to discuss with that?" Beckett asked while they were putting on their boots.

"We've got gift ideas for our girls," Mary replied. "And Spring Break we're thinking of heading north to Vancouver."

"And I told her how we'd start there if we ever take that West Coast road trip," Castle said.

"And your Christmas and Spring Break?" Skye asked when they began to walk back towards the café.

"Christmas we do have ideas," Castle replied. "And Spring Break… it's going to be up in the air for a while," he said slowly. When his wife gently squeezed his hand, he was grateful for that before he said, "But that's okay, we can wait."

"I told him it probably wasn't going to happen but Corey didn't call you," Mary said to her wife.

"No, I would have told you the second that happened," Skye replied. "Plus, we would have run down the beach to you."

"That would have been interesting to see," Castle said to Mary.

"I know _Baywatch_ but fully clothed," she replied with a smile. "We were talking about that too."

"You are so lucky the two of us love you," Skye said, shaking her head before she was smiling by the end of speaking. "Now we're here at the car let's go," she told them as they'd reached the café and their car. It was unnecessary to say but it distracted them from the subject and she drove them up to the Promenade. She had parked at a structure at the middle before they walked over to the street and she couldn't help glancing up over towards the bookstore.

"We could stroll by," Castle commented, seeing his wife was looking that way as well.

Shaking her head Beckett said; while she was taking Skye's arm; "I think we better get going around to the stores. And I just realized Skye."

"Yes?" the investigator replied, turning to her.

"We never went to the store with all the incense," Beckett said, relieved her diversion had worked.

"Sure," Skye replied. "It's this way," she told her and Castle as she turned in the opposite direction to lead them to the store. "We don't need anything," she told them once they were standing under the red awning at the entrance.

"No?" Castle asked.

"We'll be back, we're going down to the toy store," Mary said, taking her wife's hand.

"So…" Castle said to his wife, keeping her from going inside.

Glancing around them Beckett pulled him over to the side of the entrance so they could talk and not block the way before she told him what she'd asked Skye, speaking in Irish.

" _That makes sense_ ," Castle said. When his wife looked at him in surprise he smiled at her and said, " _I wondered what you would do if she asked you anything about that and I'm glad you went to_ Skye _who would know what's it's like to_ make love _to a woman_ ," emphasizing the phrase 'make love.' " _I want her to have that when she's older_."

Nodding Beckett then said, " _She didn't tell me any details_."

" _I didn't think she would_ ," Castle said quickly. " _But she enjoys it right; in that aspect they're fine_."

With a smile at his rushed explanation for why he'd said the first half of that Beckett kissed his cheek and said, " _They are. Believe me as a fellow woman I'd be able to tell she was happy with that; they both are_."

" _Okay_ ," Castle said. " _Do you want me to tell_ Julia _anything at all when she gets to that? Which is going to be soon I just realized_."

" _I… why don't we ask them what they think we should do to explain Family Life to her_?" Beckett replied.

" _I get the feeling they'd say it's better if you just talk to her_ ," Castle replied. " _If I was with you it'd terrify her_."

Beckett gave a nod of her head before she said, "Why don't we go inside," switching to English. "Get something for the girls?"

"Incense?" Castle asked.

Beckett laughed softly and then said, "We'll see what we can find."

Disappearing into the store after Castle let her lead the way through the merchandise before he spotted something. "Here," he said, leading her over to the pictures of Hindu deities that were for sale.

"For us?" Beckett asked, about to protest since they had enough of those of Shiva and Parvati.

"No, for the girls," Castle said. "You know Eliza loves Ganesha and Julia likes the images of Lakshmi."

"Try and find them," Beckett told him.

"And you?" Castle asked, watching her walk away from him.

"I'll be looking at the incense," Beckett replied easily.

Watching her go Castle breathed out a little harshly before he turned his attention back to the pictures. He was able to find one of Ganesha quickly that he knew Eliza would like as the god was sitting on a lotus flower. It took him a little longer to find one for Julia but soon located the goddess. "Perfect," he said under his breath before he hurried over to where Beckett was standing; a third picture he'd seen tucked and forgotten under his arm. "Love," he said softly to get her attention.


	19. Patience And Time (Part 2)

Turning to him Beckett saw he was carrying three pictures and she said, "You found two for one of them?"

"Two?" Castle asked before he realized the one he'd been carrying under his arm. "Okay, here," he said, handing the Ganesha one to her first. "Good?"

"It is, she'll love the flower," Beckett replied. "And Julia's?"

"This one is awesome," Castle told her, handing it over. He watched her consider the picture of the goddess in front of what looked to be a pad of paper and an elephant next to her, waiting for her reaction.

"I agree, she'll love it," Beckett replied before she looked at the third one. She bit her lower lip before saying to her husband, "This is their wedding," the picture of Shiva and Parvati.

"We don't have one of that," Castle told her.

"Okay," Beckett said with a nod, handing him the pictures and watching him go pay. She followed shortly with some incense and paid for it after he had before they stepped out onto the Promenade again. She held his hand tightly as they looked south where they knew the toy store was. "I think we should go down and meet them," she told her husband. She started to walk in that direction when suddenly, she was pulled back into her husband's arms. "Rick?" she asked him in slight surprise.

"Just this," Castle said, his voice suddenly deeper than he'd expected it to be. But he didn't waste time worrying too long about it, instead focusing on her lips which he couldn't help but almost devour. When they finally parted he said, "I think I got worried."

"I wasn't aroused," Beckett said, rolling her eyes though she was only doing that jokingly. "I was thinking of you."

"What is it?" Castle asked.

" _Are you tired_?" Beckett asked, going back to Irish.

" _No_ ," Castle said quickly.

" _There's something I'd like to try tonight_ ," Beckett said honestly.

" _Then we really need to leave the party early_ ," Castle said. He smiled when his wife glanced at him and then kissed her once more before he slowly pulled away. "Come on."

"Wait, there they are," Beckett said.

"Corey called," Castle said as he then spotted what she'd seen; the two women running to them.

"He called, there was a fire," Skye said once she and her wife had reached the two.

"Where?" Beckett asked immediately.

"At a house," Skye said. "I asked him how it was related to our case and he said he needed us to be there for him to be able to explain."

"Let's go," Beckett said immediately as she could tell from her friend's tone how the detective had spoken to her on the phone. They rushed back together to the car, trying not to run, and once they were there hers and Castle's purchases almost flew into the trunk before they were getting into the backseat.

Skye drove them north on PCH until they came to a three way intersection with the beach before the investigator drove up a hill. Seeing the homes she said, "This is someone from first class, I can guarantee it."

"They have to be," Castle said, seeing what the investigator was too. Soon after they reached a small cul-de-sac and he saw where they were headed. "There doesn't look like there's much damage."

"That might be the point," Mary said.

"They wanted us to know who the victim is," the four said at the exact same time as Skye had parked against the curb.

"Wow, I wondered if we'd manage to do that," Castle said.

"Let's get over to Corey, see what he has to say," Skye told them as she opened the door to get out.

"Perfect timing Skye," Burke said as he saw the four walking up to him single file since the firemen were leaving. "Parra let me know this applied to the case and I called you."

"Why perfect timing?" Castle asked him.

"The fire department just cleared us to go inside," Parra said first, glancing at Skye for a moment before looking back at the others. "You'll need these still; there is some damage and I'm not going to risk any of you being hurt."

"Thanks," Skye said, looking at her wife as she took the hard hat from Parra.

"The victim is in here," Burke told them as they made their way through the house.

"There wasn't much of a fire," Mary commented as they went through the foyer and the living room before getting to any evidence of a blaze.

"There was an anonymous call," Parra replied. "I'm sure that's your killer, trying his hardest to make sure you saw him," she said, stepping aside so they could see the body that was on the floor.

Swearing Burke said, "How the hell did he get out of the safe house?" as it was Obek Phillips on the ground. "Is this his house?" he asked one of the officers that followed him.

"It is," a voice said before the officer could reply. Fernandez came into the room and she said, "I just talked with Gourmand at the safe house and he said that his last two checks Phillips was there in his room."

"When was the last check?" Castle asked.

"Around five in the morning," Fernandez replied.

"Then Phillips must have left after the officer left his room," Beckett commented. When the others looked to her she said, "That was his only chance. Was there an alarm on the door?"

"No," Burke said with a sigh. "We're going to have to double the officers when we use the house," he added, rubbing his hand over his face.

"Why aren't there in the first place?" Skye asked.

"Our budget," Fernandez said. "They're going to have to answer to this Burke so… your suggestion is going to be taken seriously now."

"I'll make sure it is," Burke said angrily.

"Can you tell at all if he died of smoke inhalation?" Beckett asked, bringing everyone's attention to where she was kneeling next to the body.

Doing that herself Skye said at the same time as Parra, "He didn't."

Standing up Skye said slowly, "He was shot… you saw that?"

"I did, of course he could have lived after the shot but… that much blood…" Parra commented.

Frowning Castle looked underneath the body where he suddenly realized what he'd thought was soot was actually blood, nearly black. "He's been here for a while."

"I would say he was brought here," Mary said then, moving to stand closer to her wife and trying not to glare at Parra as she did so. "And shot."

"The ME is here," an officer called then from the door.

"We'll find out soon," Burke said. "I want you two to stay in the front while he works," he directed to Skye and Mary. "You two come with me, we're going to search outside while they're busy in here."

With that the group split up as the ME came inside with an aide and they all began to investigate what they could of the victim and his home. When they'd reached the front of the house Burke, Castle and Beckett went over to Skye who was on her own, Parra speaking to her before she stopped and nearly scurried away from them. The three didn't say anything, merely looking at the investigator before she cleared her throat so she could speak to them.

"Were you able to find anything?" Skye asked, looking away from them for a moment.

"Nothing, I'm sure Phillips had his keys on him so the killer was able to overpower him and take them," Burke said. "I'll be right back and see where my officers are canvassing."

"I sent out the invitation," Skye said quickly as Castle and Beckett looked at her. "But we'll see who'll be able to come."

"What about his wife?" Castle asked as he glanced at his wife.

"I'll call her later," Skye replied. When Castle muttered something about looking around the house she looked at Beckett and then walked away.

"Skye," Beckett said sternly, going after her to the sidewalk. "Rose," she finally said, relieved when the woman seemed to freeze at that moment. "Thank you, what the hell was that?"

"She…" Skye began before she looked around them. She then hurriedly said in Russian, " _She was asking me about my wife_."

" _And_?" Beckett asked.

Skye looked at her friend before she finally threw her hands up in the air and said, " _She wanted me to say we were unhappy okay, I didn't and I told her… several times that I loved my… wife_."

" _And_?" Beckett repeated, wondering why she'd trailed off.

" _I was a starting to tell her about our night last night when she ran off seeing you three_ ," Skye replied. She sighed and said, " _I need to tell her to focus on the case; and find someone else. I'll tell her later_."

" _I'd be careful doing that_ ," Beckett said. When her friend looked at her she nodded saying, " _She might try. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to attempt sharing you with your wife_." At the obvious paling of Skye's cheeks, she said, " _I'm just warning you_."  
" _I know, thank you_ ," Skye whispered a little hoarsely. " _Excuse me_ ," she said before rushing away from her.

"Do I want to ask what that was about?" Castle asked as he walked up to his wife.

Beckett told him quickly what they'd said and commented, "I hope it works for her," when she had finished.

"So do I," Castle said before he looked at the house again. "What about Phillips?"

"I can tell you about that," Burke said. "Where the hell are Skye and Mary?" he then paused to say, looking around them.

"Around… somewhere," Castle said first as he glanced around as well.

"What about Phillips?" Beckett prompted as she knew the women were somewhere.

"He was single and he was an only child; both his parents are deceased," Burke answered.

"So no one would have been around here," Castle said.

"Exactly. Fernandez is looking into co-workers and friends but again I don't get the feeling they would be around here," Burke replied. He then looked to his right and saw his partner was making her way towards them. He was going to ask what she'd found when she stopped and turned.

Doing the same as Burke, Beckett saw the ME and assistant removing the body in the body bag before she said, "Can you ask him what he knows at this point?"

"I'll be right back," the detective said.

Seeing Burk motion to Fernandez, Beckett turned her attention to the woman as she made her way up to them and said, "You found something? I hope."

"We hope," Castle added quickly.

"He had some friends but he'd texted them yesterday he was taking a sort of vacation," Fernandez answered.

"Did you guys tell them not to say where they were?" Beckett said first. When the detective nodded she said, "Is there any way the people at his work could track his phone?"

"No," Fernandez replied. "I had the same thought and that's what I was checking right now; he worked at a business that sells valves."

"Valves?" Castle asked.

"Like for plumbing, that kind of thing I was told," Fernandez replied, reading from the notepad in her hand. "But the people I spoke to that knew him mentioned that he would have been able to track a cell phone."

"Then there was someone lately they noticed around him? Someone around work…?" Castle asked.

"They never noticed at work," Fernandez replied. "However," she added, not surprised when their interest was very obviously piqued. "Two of his coworkers went out with him to a bar about two weeks ago and they noticed a man waiting outside before Phillips left and talked to him."

"Not a passing conversation," Beckett stated.

"No, they left together," Fernandez said. "And they remember the guy."

"Oh?" Castle and Beckett said at the same time.

Fernandez smiled briefly at them before she pulled her phone out of her pocket and showed them a picture she pulled up to the screen. "There," she told them. "Our mystery man."

* * *

"There's a part of me that wants to ask how you are now," Beckett said to Skye as they stood together at a window in the break room.

"We're fine; I told her what happened," the investigator said plainly. She then glanced at her friend and said, "You're not surprised?"

"I didn't think you'd hide it from her," Beckett replied with a shrug. "How'd she react?"

"She wasn't all that surprised," Skye said. "But she said she didn't want me to talk to her alone."

"Not the best idea," Beckett told her. "You may need to speak to her alone." She wasn't surprised when the investigator started to speak and she quickly cut her off saying, "With her there she might see it was more of a challenge."

"That she's pushing me to say no to her?" Skye asked. When Beckett nodded she said, "Fine, whenever I can get in touch with her."

"Well?" Beckett asked as Burke walked in.

"I think they're back," Skye said as her friend was sipping at a cup of coffee.

"We are," Castle said behind them, going to his wife to hand her a cup of tea. "Hopefully in the interim something happened."

"It did," Burke replied, setting down his cup. "Meet Calvin Artois," he said, setting a picture on the murder board. "Our mystery man."

"And?" Skye asked when she took her cup from her wife.

"And he's been jailed before," Burke replied. "For arson."

"He has nothing to do with the flight though," Beckett started to say before she looked over at Skye.

"He wasn't maintenance in DC or JFK," Burke said. "He's lived here in LA his whole life. But…"

"I'd say Burbank," Skye said as the detective looked at her and then the others did as well. "Or Ontario; Ontario more than likely."

"You're right he did work on maintenance there but he was fired last October," Burke relied.

"For stealing jet fuel," Skye and Beckett said at the same time.

"Jet A to be specific," Burke said, taking their comment in stride. "It was never proven but they noted that once he left the rate of fuel consumption was normal."

"Any fires lately where that was used?" Castle asked.

"Negative," Parra said, stepping into the room. She glanced at Mary, who'd rolled her eyes and gave a snort before turning away, before she turned her attention to Burke. "I made some calls around as far as Inland and-"

"Inland?" Castle interrupted.

"Inland Empire; out in the valley," Parra replied. "Due east. Anyways there hasn't been any evidence of that used as a combustible in any investigation."

"Which isn't good," Skye commented.

"She's right," Parra replied. "You think he was stocking up on it?"

"That would be a guess," Beckett said, seeing Mary looked unquestionably furious. "But how are you going to find him?"

"We did already," Burke said easily. "And he's almost here," he told the others to their surprise before he walked out of the room to the bull pen.

"Thank you for leading off with that," Skye said sarcastically after him. She glanced at Parra before walking with her wife out after the detective.

Castle and Beckett were the last in the room and they were about to follow them when his phone began to ring.

"I'll meet you-" Castle started to say as he scrambled to answer it.

"Answer," Beckett said simply.

"It's Mariette," Castle said, answering it and putting it to speaker. "What-"

"They're keeping your San Diego signings," the agent said on the other end. "But they're cancelling the party that you had tonight."

"Okay," Beckett said, sharing a look with her husband. "So we have tonight free."

"They bumped up the Getty party; that'll be tonight," Mariette replied. "Hopefully that won't be an issue."

"It won't," Beckett replied, not surprised when Castle looked to her to answer.

"What about the parties in San Diego?" he asked then.

"They're still on too; keep up the great work out there," Mariette answered before she hung up the phone.

"I never thought I'd find someone as abrupt as Paula was but she proves me wrong every time we talk to her," Castle said as he put away his phone.

"We-" Beckett started to say when she saw someone coming up to the doorway.

"Burke wants you in with us," Skye told her.

"What about Rick?" Beckett asked, glancing in the direction of her husband.

"He's in observation with everyone else," Skye said. She was going to turn around and leave when she paused and said to Castle, "Try and keep my wife and Parra separated if you can."

"She's still here?" he asked in surprise.

"Our investigations are… one essentially," Skye said uncomfortably. " _Unfortunately_ ," she sighed in Irish. " _Come on, the sooner we solve this the better chance my marriage survives it_."

Following the investigator Castle and Beckett separated at the two doors next to each other before they both stopped.

"Our Getty party is tonight," Beckett said first.

"You can schedule the club's party for tomorrow," Castle added.

"Tell Mary; she can call that in," Skye replied before she and Beckett went into the other room.

"Finally, I had to put him in holding," Burke said as he and Fernandez looked at the two women walking in.

"Why are we both here?" Beckett asked.

"I was wondering that myself," Skye commented as she went to the mirror.

"Better you're here in case we miss anything," Burke said, going to the door to stick his head out.

Once Artois was in the seat across from the two detectives he said, "What am I doing here?"

"We found you here," Fernandez began setting a photo in front of him. "At this abandoned warehouse playing with fire; interesting."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Artois sighed. "I've been through this before, get to the f-"

"You like to play with jet fuel," Skye said suddenly, stepping forward.

"Hey, aren't you a pilot?" Artois said in response as he seemed to recognize her.

"I may be," Skye said, going around standing next to the man as he watched her while she watched.

"What is she doing?" Mary asked in concern.

"Wait," Castle said, placing his hand on her arm as the woman had nearly jumped to the window.

"But I'm also an investigator and I know fires," Skye said. "Judging by the warehouse," she said, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Beckett. "You were testing things there with the jet fuel you managed to take."

At that moment Burke held up a picture that Beckett could see from where she was standing behind his chair. Seeing the wall there she then said, "You needed to play with the fuel."

"Why did you kill Obek Phillips?" Fernandez said.

"Who?" Artois asked, looking uncertain.

Pushing across a photo of the vic Burke said, "The man you killed."

"He was already dead," Artois replied quickly. "See, I set that fire yes but I didn't kill him. I was hired."

"Knew it," Castle said under his breath in observation. "He has nothing to do with the flight," he said as Mary and Parra looked at him.

"Why does he have to have anything to do with that?" the latter asked.

"Because that's where everyone on the list was from," Mary replied.

"Explain," Burke was saying then in interrogation.

"I needed some money… I need money," Artois said after some hesitation. "And a friend of mine said he had someone who knew how to play with fire too."

"Too?" Becket asked immediately.

"Yes," Artois replied. "They needed a fire set but by someone else so they wouldn't be found."

"And you decided to risk it," Fernandez said.

Skye, having been pacing around the room as the suspect was talking, stopped behind him and said, "How much did he give you?"

"He said he had ten grand," Artois said slowly.

"No down payment?" Castle said, looking at the man in confusion.

"And you didn't demand a down payment?" Beckett asked in the room as if she could hear her husband.

"I did but he said I could take it or leave it," Artois replied.

"What did he tell you to do," Burke asked.

Breathing out hard Artois said, "I was given the address and I took the bus there, got to the house and broke in." He saw the four were looking at him and he quickly told them, "I can pick locks and I got in and I waited. Fell asleep and the guy came in after dawn… something over his shoulder. He threw it down and unrolled a body from a blanket."

"Was he dead?" Beckett asked.

Shaking his head Artois replied, "I could see he was breathing but he was out, the guy shot him once the bag was out of the way but it was quiet so there was a silencer I guess and after that…"

"Mr. Artois," Fernandez said to push him.

"He told me to take care of it and… I did," the man said.

"What was so special about the fire?" Skye asked. "It wasn't discovered until relatively shortly after you set it."

"He wanted me to wait, told me something about them needing to be up," Artois said. "I thought he meant you cops 'cause he thought you'd be asleep or something. And he also wanted something small."

"Which means the tests on the wall," Beckett commented.

"Yeah, I never set a fire before I was only… playing before it. How I got caught," Artois said shrugging at the last of what he'd said. "That's why he talked to me; he wanted someone who hadn't been convicted of arson."

"Better tell an officer about that," Castle said to Parra. "Unless you can search."

"I can," the investigator said before she left the room.

"What else did he do while you were in the house?" Burke was asking.

"I had to wait until he left and until about ten," Artois replied. "I just stayed with the body until it was time and I left."

"Did he go to see you at that warehouse?" Beckett asked he man when he was silent after that.

"Yes, two days ago," Artois replied. "But just to see what I could do, I guess to make sure that I could in the end set the fire like he wanted it. Oh, he left something there… a paper I was going to pick it up but I got called by my sister so I never got to see what it was."

"Did he tell you why he was doing this?" Skye said, watching Burke and Fernandez.

"I… something about a flight," Artois replied once he'd thought it over. "And how he hated everyone on it." Closing his eyes for a moment he then said, "He said everyone should have just died; it would have been better for himself if he had."

"I'm going to guess," Beckett said. "You never saw his face when he spoke to you."

"He was really careful to keep it covered by a scarf," Artois said. "The only thing I saw were his eyes; brown."

Glancing at Castle as he swore next to her Mary said, "It could still help."

"Not much," he replied.

Watching as Burke wrapped up the interview and stood to place Artois under arrest Skye went over to Beckett to have her remain in the room. "It's someone off the flight," she said once they were alone.

Looking at the window Beckett knocked on it and gestured to her husband and Mary before she turned her attention back to her friend. "Obviously but it doesn't help us all that much. An arsonist with brown eyes?"

"He might not be," Skye said as their spouses came into the room.

"You mean without a criminal record?" Castle asked. Before the investigator could respond he continued with, "That might work; a failsafe in case Artois was caught. He might have thought that we would go after someone who was on record as being an arsonist than one who was never convicted."

"What about security footage?" Mary said. "Around the warehouse?"

"An officer is looking into that now," Burke said as he came to the doorway. "Fernandez is booking Artois. Come on we need to look at this now."

"What about the arsonist?" Mary asked.

"That would be Parra's department," Burke said as they went to the conference room they were using. He paused and then turned to them saying, "You two need to focus on the case."

"Keep going, we know," Skye said, stepping around the detective. "What do you have? I'm assuming for names," she said to the investigator.

"It turns out I was wrong," Parra said as the others were coming into the room then. "There are around… five fires that have been started with Jet A recently; within the past month. Results were just getting in yesterday and today."

"Where?" Mary asked.

"I need a map," Parra told Burke.

"Of what?" the detective asked.

"Of as far east as LA," Parra replied. When the man had left she said, "There's been one fire each the last five nights in this area. All of them with a similar signature."

"You're not going to investigate them?" Skye asked.

"Yes, but I need to at least leave you with a map of where they were," Parra replied.

"Here," Burke replied, coming back inside. He set the map on the murder board and watched as Parra began to mark it while she was looking at her phone at the same time.

"Okay," Parra said, stepping away once she had finished.

"It seems to be following a line," Castle said. "I don't know why none of us asked; what kind of fires were they?"

"All house fires," Parra replied. "But no one related to your flight," she replied, handing Burke a list of names. "Those are the families."

"How bad was the damage?" Beckett said.

"About as much as there was at the house today," Parra replied. "They're going to fax you some of the casework," she told the detective.

"Alright, call if there's anything of note at the fires," Burke replied before the woman left.

"You did have CSU go to that warehouse, right?" Skye asked him.

"Oh of course," Burke replied. "It was a large building you have to understand," he said as he pointed to the picture he'd placed up on the board. "So it'll take some time for them to process it." He heard his name called and then left saying to the others, "I think that'll be the other information from the fires."  
"I honestly thought there was going to be a pattern to the fires," Castle said when he, Beckett and the McDouglases were left there alone.

"Too easy," Beckett pointed out to him.

"True," Castle said with a nod. "But you think they're just random?"

"They could be," Mary said. "How do you know he didn't use this to distract us from Artois?"

"No," Beckett said in sudden realization. "To make us find him."

"Then he's stopping," Mary commented.

"I wish," Skye said. "You're right Kate he won't but he's getting something… big ready."

"The jet fuel," all four said at the same time.

"Twice," Castle said as Skye rushed out of the room to go find Burke.

"It'll be gone," Mary commented, watching her wife through the windows until she couldn't see her anymore. "That's a frightening thought; do you know how dry the brush is around here- all around here- from the summer?"

"That's why it'll be big," Skye said as she walked inside. "He's contacting whoever's at the warehouse for them to look but I'm sure they've noticed it's gone by now."

"What should we do?" Castle asked, looking at his wife as he spoke.

"We need to wait for the ME's report and anything they might find from the warehouse," Beckett answered.

Sitting down Skye said to her wife, "I didn't have a chance to talk to her."

"I know," Mary said, taking the chair next to her. "But I realized something."

"What?" Skye asked, looking over at Castle and Beckett who looked a little uncertain if they should stay or leave.

"It's all one sided," Mary replied.

Skye was about to speak but then stopped herself when her wife smiled. "Thanks," she said.

"You're very welcome," Mary said. "What about what you were talking about before you guys went in the room?"

"Oh, they changed our party to tonight," Castle said. "I'm not sure why but they did."

"And we'll have ours tomorrow," Skye said, holding up her phone. "I texted them and they got back to me."

"Why don't we go tonight?" Mary said suddenly to her wife.

"The girls?" Skye replied.

"They can go to the party tomorrow right?" Beckett suggested.

"They can, we'll see if they want to spend the night again," Mary said as her wife nodded at her.

"They'll be fine with that I'm sure," Castle commented. "I know our daughters would be." When Skye nodded he watched her turn to her wife before he thought of something and turned to his, "Text Paul," he muttered so the other two women wouldn't hear.

It took Beckett only a moment to realize what he was talking about before she got her phone and started to write out the message to the singer. Just as she was sending it she then heard footsteps coming up to the doorway and looked with the other three to find that it was Burke and Fernandez.

"What is it?" Skye asked, she and Mary standing up.

"I think we have a motive," Burke said first, a little grimly. He set something down on the table and said, "They found the paper Artois was talking about. It's you Skye; they're trying to get to you," as the paper was an article with the investigator's picture on it.


	20. Where I Was And When

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: Very, very happy that I got the feedback for the last chapter that I did so let me get to my thank yous for that right now! TORONTOSUN (Really happy you liked the backstory I had for Skye and Mary, was hoping my readers would. And so pleased you liked how I brought Burke into the chapter since I do like it when readers enjoy my characters, so to know you did was nice!) and  
MsNYC (I couldn't help laughing a bit at your reaction to the end of the last chapter but it does make sense with what happened of course. And not surprised you're wondering about Skye. I was happy that you liked that Beckett was so comfortable with Skye that she could ask about her first time. Though the other half of that was also so she would have an idea of two women intimate to tell Julia if she needs to. But again, I'm really glad you liked that she could do that, and it was the right wording I thought. I wasn't surprised either that you're looking forward to the end of the case so you'll see why exactly the killer didn't go after Skye or her friends and family. So happy you thought it was great writing as usual again!).  
Thanks so much for the reviews, as I always say I loved reading them and am grateful for the time taken to write them out and send them to me!

A/N #2: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song _Dark Horse_ by George Harrison, from his album by the same name.

Where I Was And When

"Okay?" Beckett asked as she walked up to her friend and Mary who were standing together in front of the murder board.

"Not really," Skye said. She turned around to the rest of the room and said with a groan, "I was hoping this would never happen again. Friends being killed because of me."

"It's still not a sure thing," Castle said quickly. "You do realize that they're just articles."

"Two," Skye reminded him firmly. "Two articles and the second one found at the crime scene," she said as CSU had let Burke know that one about her flying Flight 139 had been found in the living room of Phillips' home.

"He's right though," Beckett told her. "It could be a diversion from the actual motive; something that might help us identify him."

Skye was going to speak but then stopped so she could think that over before she finally said, "True, two articles doesn't automatically mean it's because of me. The only connection to me that we can say for sure is the flight."

"And it looks like it's all of us that are connected," Castle suggested.

"For now, yes," Skye said, nodding her head. She sat down and was going to speak when she suddenly heard a grumbling noise and turned with the others to the doorway. "Corey?" she asked.

"It's lunch," the man said. "Mary, want to order some pizzas?" Burke said hesitantly.

"What's the number?" the doctor replied, reaching her hand out to the paper the man was holding.

"You know what we all like… at least I hope so," Burke told her when she left to make the call in his office. He then turned back around to the others and holding up a file said, "The ME report."

"I guess that's me," Beckett said, slightly jokingly. She took the file and began to read, not surprised to feel her husband behind her reading over her shoulder. "He was shot in the stomach… between nine and ten which makes sense since the fire was called in at ten fifteen."

"Who called it in?" Castle asked, looking up at the detective.

"The neighbor to the west; they could see the smoke coming out from that window," Burke answered as he sat down. "It was wide open."

"CSU finished, right?" Skye asked him.

"No fingerprints," Burke said as he was nodding. "Which didn't surprise me since Artois had gloves on him at that warehouse."

"And he was right about something," Beckett said to get everyone's attention. "Phillips was sedated by… tranquilizers."

"Not enough to identify them," Castle said in confusion. He and his wife looked at each other and they said at the same time, "Chloroform."

"That was found in his lungs," Beckett replied after she'd turned the page and nodded. "And not much smoke… so he bled to death but slowly."

"That's been cleared up at least," Skye said. "What about the footage?"

"There's nothing at the safe house," Burke said. He had set another file on the table and motioned to it saying, "Pictures of Phillips just walking out after checking on the desk. At the warehouse we have nothing; I get the feeling the killer picked it as there weren't any cameras anywhere around it."

"Then what do we do now?" Mary asked, coming inside in time to hear that.

"Lunch," Burke told everyone as his partner walked into the room. "And then try and see where we can go again."

Once the meal was delivered the six gathered around the table and at first ate in silence before they began to talk, Burke and Fernandez steering the conversation away from the case until they were asked why they were doing that by Skye.

"Did you ever really talk about cases during meals?" Burke asked Beckett.

"Usually but that's mainly because we were still looking at things," she answered. "Which we did while we ate. These days we'll do what you're suggesting, not discuss it until after to look at it again."

"You're thinking you missed something?" Skye asked Burke.

"I'm not sure," the detective replied.

"We're not going to stop talking about this," Mary said. "What is it?"

"You two are too observant," Burke said slightly jokingly.

"I noticed," Beckett said easily.

"So did I," Castle said. "What do you have?"

"Nothing," Fernandez answered after sipping at her water bottle. "But what we thought was what if the killer moved?"

"You want to track him with the Jet A," Skye said.

"That was a thought," Burke said with a nod. "I called Parra and asked her to look around; particularly on the East Coast."

"When will she get back to us?" Mary asked.

"She'll call," Fernandez replied. "Whether or not she'll come in I don't know."

"I don't think she'll find anything," Beckett said.

"No, she's right," Castle said quickly when the others were all looking at his wife. "This Jet A more than likely it came from the Ontario Airport and from Artois."

"Is he under arrest for the theft?" Skye asked.

"He'll be charged; I contacted Ontario," Burke said quickly.

"But I think the idea of the killer being from here is your most likely scenario," Beckett said.

"What's bothering me," Skye said then, standing up then to pace. "Is the idea of these seven and us. I'm from here which makes sense but I wasn't on that list."

"Maybe," Mary began slowly. She wasn't surprised when everyone looked at her and she said, "Maybe it's not fully about you _grá_."

"No?" Skye asked.

Beckett wasn't surprised when her friend looked very hopeful and something in her mind seemed to suddenly realize what Mary was thinking. "You saved everyone on the flight, you and Phin and Daniel," she began. "They'd look at you as…"

"Oh, please don't say as gods," Skye said in a slight groan.

"Not gods," Castle said quickly as he'd been able to see where his wife was going. "But as the ones to keep alive; you're the reason the flight made it."

"Which makes it sound like they're worshiping the crew," Fernandez pointed out.

"In a way," Beckett said. "Sorry," she said to the investigator.

"It's alright," Skye said. "So we're untouchable in their eyes."

"That's what it seems like," Castle said. "Though he might be a little… bipolar," he said, looking pointedly at Mary.

"You mean Artois' comment," Burke said before the doctor could speak.

"I don't think it's that," Mary said, speaking slowly again. She was quiet, thinking over what she had begun, before she then said to her wife, "They're doubting themselves there."

"That was before everything started though," Castle said quickly.

"He's probably incredibly happy now," Mary said, nodding to his comment. "Therefore, there aren't any doubts since this happened this morning."

"You do have extra security on the safe house, right?" Skye asked her friend.

"It's set," Burke replied. "And now it's time to get back to work," he said as they had stopped eating the pizza.

As the others were clearing up the table Beckett murmured to her husband, " _We should let them go over the case one more time_."

" _And us_?" Castle asked, wondering why she was murmuring when Skye was right next to them and could understand them.

" _I didn't send the video yet_ ," Beckett whispered into his ear.

"Go talk to them," Skye told them. She smiled in amusement when they looked at her and she told them, "I'm right here and can hear you. But you don't need to be here to go over the case."

"We remember it fairly well," Castle said. He turned to his wife and asked, "Where can we go though? They need this room."

"There's a memorial garden on the side of the station," Skye replied. "Go out through the lobby and then go over to the left, you won't be able to miss it. I'll tell Burke and Fernandez where you are."

"Thanks," Beckett told her friend, squeezing her arm before they left. She let Castle lead the way out and they went over to the garden which was behind some fencing so they were alone. "Are they ready?" she asked her husband when they were sitting on a bench in the shade.

"They are," Castle said, watching her get her tablet in the bag she'd brought with them to hold it. He let her get the tablet ready and he said, "I wonder how their Saturday has gone, it's four thirty by now."

"I know," Beckett said with a smile as she wondered why they were ready to talk as well. "We'll find out though," she added as they waited for their daughters to appear on the screen.

* * *

"Careful," Louis said as he watched Eliza jump over the breaking wave. "Don't want to slip."

"I don't slip," the little girl said with a giggle. "Do you want to go out to swim?"

"I think I'm alright," Louis commented when he looked out to where he could see the heads of his girlfriend, Julia and Mari. "We'll swim with them when they come back." When the little girl nodded in agreement he said, "Alright, let's go in a little more so we're ready for them when they get to us."

"Kay," Eliza said with a smile. She walked with him into the water before she looked up at him and said, "Do I hafta wear this?"

"I think your parents would be very mad if you didn't," Louis replied, trying not to smile as he'd been waiting for the little girl to protest the swimming vest Alexis had put on her.

"Yeah," Eliza sighed. She then said, "I wonder what they are doing now."

"Well it's around twelve," Louis said, chancing a look at his waterproof watch. "I bet they're having lunch."

"Do they still have a case?" Eliza asked him.

"Most likely," Louis said. "Look, here they come," he said when he spotted the three swimming back to shore.

"She wants to go in?" Alexis asked when they were close enough.

"She does," Louis replied with a smile. "But she decided to wait."

"I can go in?" Eliza asked eagerly.

"Of course," Alexis said, glancing at Louis.

"I didn't say anything," the young man said, laughingly raising his hands. "I just said to wait for you three."

"He did," Eliza said quickly. "Don't be mad 'lexis."

"I'm not," she reassured her sister. "But we'll swim back out in a little bit. Why don't you go play with Jules and Mari? They're going to build a sandcastle."

"Kay!" Eliza said eagerly before she rushed over to the two girls to join them in getting pails of water.

Sitting with his girlfriend on the blankets they'd set out Louis asked, "You don't think they'd be that mad, do you?"

"That we came out here?" Alexis asked instead of answering. When he nodded she smiled and said, "They'll wish they'd been here but no they won't care; it's still warm after all."

"And they know you'd never take them in if it was cold," Louis said, nodding to the three girls. "Well that and the Fosters wouldn't have let you take their daughter either."

Alexis merely smiled before she said, "I wonder when they're going to call though."

"I think Eliza was wondering the same," Louis replied. "She wondered what your parents were doing right now."

"Working on the case," Alexis said before she grabbed her boyfriend's arm and looked at the watch on his wrist. "Or having lunch I think. They might call," she added as she looked for her phone.

"Should we go inside?" Louis asked.

"As soon as Dad texts me," Alexis said. She looked at the girls and saw they were alright before she turned to Louis and asked, "Are you nervous?"

"About what? This last year?" the young man replied. When his girlfriend nodded he smiled and said, "A bit, not looking forward to finals but I want to be done. Is now a good time to talk about what we'll do after?"

"That depends," Alexis said very simply.

"We should discuss it," Louis said. He turned quickly from the girls to look at his girlfriend when he saw the smile on her face. "What?"

"We," Alexis replied simply, still smiling before she looked at him.

"Well… aye," Louis said, his Irish accent getting a bit thicker. "I wasn't just dating you to have a girlfriend through university."

Placing her hand on his shoulder to calm him down Alexis said reassuringly, "I know. But the problem becomes where we go."

"I don't know why you've never asked me for certain," Louis said. "If I could come here then I would love to come here to America."

"More permanently?" Alexis asked though she knew that was unnecessary. She just wanted to hear him say it so she would be sure it was what he wanted.

"Of course," Louis said. "I just wonder about job opportunities. I don't know about many in the city…"

"You could look," Alexis said though she'd thought of that herself.

"I could but I would imagine there'll be more luck out here," Louis replied. "To be honest," he said as they were looking over at the girls together. "I would love to work at the stables your parents' horses are at. It's a wonderful compound."

"And live out here near my family?" Alexis asked, glancing out of the corner of her eye at him.

"I wouldn't mind, they've been quite nice to me," Louis replied. "But what about you?"

"There are a few offices for children psychiatrists," Alexis said. "Out here."

"We would have to consider it," Louis said. "And… find a place to live."

"Don't worry," Alexis told him with a smile. "I had thought of that myself, it would be kind of weird living with my family when we can try and get an apartment. But what if you can only get a job in the city?"

"What about you?" Louis shot back.

"Well we have a place to live there," Alexis said.

"It's not so much for an apartment here?" Louis asked.

"Not as much as in the city; believe me," Alexis told him with another smile.

"Okay, then we'll have to see in the summer," Louis replied.

"Maybe after the summer," Alexis said. "My parents will want to go on vacation I'm sure. Come with us."

"Depends on my folks," Louis said. "If I am to move to America… here, I should spend some time with them. You could come with me."

"I think," Alexis began slowly. "That would be a test of our relationship."

"Already?" Louis asked, affecting a disappointed tone.

"We'd be together for nearly a year and a half," Alexis told him. "And that might happen in the future," she said, her voice growing a little soft on the last word.

With a wide smile Louis grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss to her fingertips before he said, "It may, so you're right, we should give that a shot."

"What do you think they're talking about?" Mari whispered to Julia.

"I don't know," the girl replied, watching them. "I guess Mommy and Daddy didn't call us yet," she said to her little sister.

"They are hungry," Eliza said in a matter of fact tone of voice. She ignored the fact that her sister and Mari were laughing at her and suddenly jumped up.

"Lizzy, where are you going!" Alexis said, startled when her littlest sister ran over to the Foster home.

Ignoring that Eliza didn't stop until she was at the sliding door where she knocked on it a little faster than she meant to. When David came up to the door shortly after her sister was walking up behind her and once he'd opened the door she said, "Can Dani come to the beach?"

"I don't know," David said in amusement as he'd been wondering when the day was going to come that the little girl would do that. "Becca," he called to his wife.

"Yes?" Rebecca said as she came over with their youngest.

"Can Dani come over?" Eliza asked before David could say anything.

"Down to the beach?" Rebecca replied with a smile. "That's more up to Alexis."

"We'll take her," the young woman said, reaching out for the baby. "And we can take both for the night."

"Oh, that's really nice of you but-" David started to say though he'd looked hopeful at first.

"It's alright," Alexis replied. "I took care of Eliza when she was that age."

"Don't worry, we trust you," Rebecca said first. "But four kids?"

"I took care of more in Japan," Alexis reminded them.

Glancing with her husband down at Eliza, Rebecca finally smiled and nodded saying, "I'll go grab her things."

Since his wife had handed him Dani, David kissed her temple and said, "You'll have a lot of fun honey. But I hope you won't really make any trouble for them tonight."

"No she won't," Eliza said, her tone reflecting that she was overjoyed. "Can she sleep in my bed with me?"

"She still has the net on the side, right?" David asked.

"They've stopped using it," Alexis replied. "But it's still there so I can set it up if you want me to."

"That would be nice," David said with a nod. "Alright," he then said as he looked at Rebecca who had walked over to them. "I love you Dani, behave."

"Dada," the baby said, smiling at her father before they shared a kiss.

"I love you too," Rebecca said once she had Dani in her arms. "I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time with Eliza and everyone."

"Love Mama," the baby managed to say before she kissed her mother.

"Have your parents called yet?" Rebecca asked once Alexis had her youngest and the bag with her things.

"No, they're likely busy," the young woman said. "But I'm sure you could call them if you wanted to."

"Thank you," Eliza said then as she knew she needed to.

"You're welcome, we'll come over to get our girls before breakfast… by eight at least," David said.

"After breakfast," Alexis said simply. "We'll see you then." After the couple had said goodbye to them she motioned her sister to the beach, back to the others, and said, "You're lucky I knew where you were going."

"Sorry," Eliza said. "Do I hafta go to time out now?" she asked, peering up at her.

"Yes," Alexis said gently. "You'll need to sit with me and Louis while Jules and Mari play with Dani."

Kicking some sand Eliza said, "How long?"

"For ten minutes, stop kicking the sand Lizzy," Alexis told her, not surprised at her reaction. "They texted?" she asked, seeing her boyfriend had her phone in his hand as he was standing with Julia and Mari.

"Hi Dani," the little girl said to her sister. "Is she gonna stay tonight too?"

"Yep but for now we should get inside, come on," Alexis told them, ushering them up to the house with Louis' help.

"Can I say that Dani came over?" Eliza asked her sister as she was getting the TV ready.

"Sure," Alexis replied before she looked at her boyfriend. "Going to talk to them now?"

"Yeah, they're ready for me," Louis replied. "Quite tickled I'm talking so much to them."

"We're not as busy as in Oxford," Alexis said. She was startled when he gave her a brief kiss on the lips; since they hadn't really been showing too much affection in front of the girls; and watched him go. "Okay," she said, more to shake herself than to address the girls. "Let's see Dad and your mom," she told them as she then switched on Skype.

"Hi Mommy, Daddy," Julia said first when her parents appeared on the screen.

"Hey," Castle said first after Eliza had told him and Beckett the same. "Looks like there's a full house tonight."

"Dani's gonna stay here tonight," Eliza said excitedly.

"That sounds like fun," Beckett said, sharing a glance with her husband at how eager their youngest's voice was. "We're calling a little early because we're still working on the case."

"You didn't find anything for the case?" Eliza asked.

"Anything that is going to help you solve it?" Julia quickly added in case they didn't understand.

"Not yet but we might be getting close to finding something that would help us out," Castle said, not surprised when his wife looked at him.

"Before we get to what we did today before working on the case," Beckett said so they could change the subject. "What about your day?"

"We had breakfast outside," Julia said first when Eliza looked at her to speak.

"You went down to the beach, didn't you?" Castle asked.

"Yeah, it's still warm," Julia said, Eliza nodding her head rapidly in agreement with that.

"It's alright," Beckett said to their defending their sister. "We know she wouldn't take you out to swim if it was freezing."

"Can we swim with you when you come back?" Eliza asked.

"We need to see how the weather is," Castle told her. "But if it's warm enough we promise we'll go." He expected some kind of protest from his wife but not seeing anything he quickly turned his full attention back to their daughters. "Keep going though… unless that's all you did," he said to them.

With a smile Alexis told her father, "It is, we had lunch after Mari came over and just stayed out there until Lizzy ran over to the Fosters."

"Without telling you?" Beckett asked.

"I was going to put her into time out," Alexis replied. "When you guys texted."

"Alright but just for five minutes," Beckett told her stepdaughter. She smiled when Alexis looked startled and she explained, "I guessed you might have her sit out for longer. And I'm sure she learned her lesson too."

"I did Mommy," Eliza said quickly.

"What about what you did today?" Julia then asked.

"This morning we went to the beach and the café there where we had breakfast the last time we were here," Castle said.

"And then you went to work?" Eliza asked.

"No, we walked down the beach," Beckett answered. "I went on the sand with Skye and your daddy walked with Mary on the path they had." She tried not to think about what she'd asked her friend during that walk before she pushed herself to say, "And when we finished we went to the Promenade until we were called in on the case."

"Did you get anything?" Julia said.

"You'll see," Castle said first. "So that's all we have for the day. Something I wanted to ask you though; have you heard from your grandparents at all?"

"We did; earlier this morning after breakfast," Alexis answered.

"Yeah, Gram and Grandpapa were at the loft," Julia added.

"And they said to let you know you can call once you finish the case," Alexis finished.

"We can call them after," Beckett commented. "Will you and Louis be okay with all the girls?"

"We will," Alexis said with a nod. "Will you call us tomorrow?"

"Yes, we almost forgot to say," Beckett said with a smile. "Julia?"

"Yes?" the little girl asked immediately.

"Did you check your phone at all?" Beckett asked.

"No, I knew it was too early for you then," Julia answered. "Why?"

"Check it now," Beckett told her with a smile.

"Okay," Julia said before she then left, hurrying to the kitchen table where her phone was while she was at the beach. Going back to the room she opened her phone and saw the message from her mother. Seeing that there was a video she played it and her mouth dropped open when she saw what it was. "Is that Skye?" she asked in awe after the first song was over.

"And her band, The Rambling O'Dells," Castle replied, nodding his head. "A woman named Jackie and two men who are Raj and Barry play with them."

"How many songs did they play?" Julia asked.

"A number of them; the clip is a little long," Beckett said. "So watch it after we hang up okay?"

"I will, thanks for filming that for me," Julia told her mother. "Do you need to go?"

"One more thing," Beckett said. "We're going to our Getty party tonight."

"Which one?" Alexis asked.

"The one for our book," Castle replied. "Even if the detectives are still working on the case."

"We have to go Rick," Beckett said wryly as he was looking at her as he said that. "We'll come back to the case tomorrow."

"Guys," Skye called out to the two. When they looked up at her she said, "We could use you back inside."

"Alright, girls we need to go," Castle said first. "Very quickly, Mari I hope you and Dani have fun over at our house tonight."  
"Thanks," Mari said, holding onto her sister so she wouldn't try to walk away.

"And Julia, Eliza? I love you both, we'll see you tomorrow," Castle told them.

"Love you too Daddy," Julia said first. "I hope you find something for the case."

"Love you Daddy!" Eliza cried, waving to him.

"Goodnight Mari, Dani. Have fun with them like Rick said," Beckett then told the girls. "I love you too girls. Sweet dreams tonight and we'll want to hear about the rest of your day tomorrow."

"I love you Mommy," Eliza said first. "We'll say what happens."

"Yeah but we're gonna just play," Julia said with a smile.

"We still want to hear," Castle assured her though he knew she was joking.

"I love you too Mommy," Julia told her.

"And of course, we love you Alexis; we didn't forget about you," Castle said quickly to his daughter.

"He's right," Beckett said quickly when her stepdaughter started to open her mouth to speak. "We do."

"Thanks," Alexis said with a smile. "I love you both too."

After they'd said goodbye to the two Julia said, "Are we gonna do anything right now?"

"I was going to say go down to the beach," Alexis told her. "But go ahead and watch the movie your mom filmed."

"Can you put it on the TV so it's bigger?" Mari suggested.

"Hold on," Alexis said with a smile as she stood to take her sister's phone. When she had it set up to play on the TV she pressed play and then stepped out of the way so the others could see, watching from there.

"Who's that?" Louis asked as he stepped into the room after the second song finished.

"Skye," Alexis replied. "You remember her."

"I do, didn't know she had a band," Louis said as he came closer.

"According to my parents it's not really an official one," Alexis replied. "They just perform at friends' parties."

"Are they gonna do that at the one tonight?" Eliza asked.

"Probably not," Alexis said. "Since it's for Dad and Kate's book. But at least they got to see them perform here."

Julia tried not to ask her sister impatiently to play the movie again while they were talking and was relieved when she finally did so. She watched the next songs being played in awe, not surprised when to see her mother had sometimes focused on the way Skye was playing her guitar. When it was over she said to her sisters and friends, "I wish I knew how to play like that."

"Keep learning and I'm sure you will," Louis said.

"Do you know how to play something?" Eliza asked him.

"I do, not the guitar but _uillean_ pipes," Louis replied. "Not often but I know how to play."

"Who's ready to go back down to the beach?" Alexis asked them. She wasn't surprised when the girls cheered and begged her and Louis to go, so she quickly gathered them before they went back outside and headed down to the beach.

"Can we look for some shells?" Julia asked her sister. "For the sandcastle we made."

"Go ahead but stay close okay," Alexis replied, holding onto Eliza. "Stay here Lizzy."

Though she wanted to protest the little girl finally nodded and sat, watching the two walk away from her.

Hearing the sigh her little sister made Alexis smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm going to do what your mom said and just keep you here for five minutes."

"Kay," Eliza said before she looked at Louis who was sitting with them, Dani on his lap. "How is Erin?"

"She's doing well, glad that it's Saturday though for them it's nearly over," Louis replied. "For her actually it is since she'll be going to bed soon unless she's in bed right now."

"Oh," Eliza said, thinking that over for a minute. "Why can't she come here?"

"You mean now?" Alexis asked her. When her sister nodded she reminded her, "She is in school; her parents aren't going to let her miss that especially at the start of the year."

"And we're coming here for Christmas," Louis reminded them.

"Did I tell you Kate's friend Patrick is coming too with his family?" Alexis asked her boyfriend.

"No but I don't think any of us would care," Louis replied, speaking for his family. "My da enjoyed talking with… Trevor right?" When Alexis nodded in response to his question he said, "And Erin liked playing with their little girl."

"That's Maddy, my friend too," Eliza said quickly.

"You'll get to see her at Christmas," Alexis said with a smile. She glanced down the beach again; as she'd been doing since the two had left them; and seeing Mari and Julia speaking to each other she said, "I wonder what they're talking about."

"Gossip?" Louis asked. When his girlfriend rolled her eyes, he smiled and then checked his watch saying, "Time's up."

"Come with us in the water before you go with Jules and Mari," Alexis replied, holding onto Eliza.

"Kay," the little girl said, sounding eager as she promptly forgot about the two as she went into the water holding onto Alexis' and Louis' hands; Dani against Louis hip while they went.


	21. Where I Was And When (Part 2)

"Are you nervous still?" Julia was asking her friend once they were away from the others enough that they wouldn't hear them.

"About the dance?" Mari said, stopping to pick up a shell before she rolled it down the sand as it was broken. She saw Julia nodding to her and she smiled saying, "Don't worry I won't mess up."

"I'm not worried about that," Julia said, trying not to sound exasperated. "But you never did this before."

"I probably won't except if we do trio dances," Mari said, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm not gonna dance as much as you will."

"Oh," Julia said softly. She then smiled and said, "I forget you don't like to dance as much as I do."

"I don't think anyone does," Mari told her with a wide smile. "Well… except for Peter. Think you're always gonna be partners?"

"That would be nice," Julia replied. "But maybe when he gets older he won't like it as much."

"I think he will; maybe he'll be like Derek," Mari said to that. "Dancing when he's grown up."

Julia smiled before she glanced over to the west and frowned for a moment before she shook herself and then looked at her friend. "What?" she asked, a little startled to see the concern on Mari's face.

"What's wrong with you?" the little girl replied. "You were looking over there. Did you see a spirit?"

"No," Julia replied, shaking her head. "My mom got upset by something…" She trailed off and looked over to the west once more before she sighed and said, "I think it has something to do with what happened at Queens to us."

"Oh," Mari nearly whispered. "But she's okay now; I bet she just remembered 'cause of the case they're working on now," she said in a rush as she knew what had happened in the city; her friend having told her one night during a sleepover.

"Probably," Julia said uneasily. She then looked over at Mari, prepared to tell her something when she stopped and then shook her head looking down at the sand again.

"Do you wanna call her back?" Mari asked.

"No, she's working and I want her to finish the case," Julia explained, picking up a shell and studying it closely. She seemed to be satisfied with it and put it in her pail before she added, "That way she and Daddy can enjoy the rest of their trip."

"Are they gonna get to go anywhere?" Mari asked. "Or just work?"

"They are gonna go to San Diego so I bet they're gonna do stuff there," Julia said.

"The case won't follow them there will it?" Mari asked her.

"Nah… well," Julia started to say before she hesitated. "Maybe if there's another murder down there they'll have to do that there but I think Daddy won't let them investigate there too."

"Could they do that?" Mari asked, her eyes slightly wide.

"Yeah, they don't have to work here but they do 'cause they want to help people," Julia replied. "Sit with me," she then told her friend.

"How come?" Mari asked though she was doing so. She then glanced back at where Alexis and Louis were with their sisters and said, "Did you want to rest?"

"No, I just wanted to stay here for a little," Julia explained simply. She then smiled at her friend and said, "I wonder how Skye and Mary are investigating."

"Didn't they do that before?" Mari asked. "With your parents?"

"Yeah but they're still not detectives," Julia said thoughtfully.

"I know what you're thinking," Mari said to her.

"Oh yeah?" Julia asked with a smile.

"Yep, you wanna investigate with them," Mari replied. When Julia just kept smiling she said, "How come? I thought you wanted to be a dancer."

"I do but look at my parents," Julia replied. "They write but then they investigate."

"How come your mom started to do that?" Mari asked her.

"Write?" Julia asked. She sighed and then said, "I asked Mommy that but she just said she wanted to do that since they were coming out here… I don't know why they decided to come out here though."

"That's all she said," Mari then asked when her friend didn't say anything else.

"That's it, so there's a story there; my daddy would say that," Julia replied, digging her toes into the wet sand before lifting them up. "But I guess I have to be a grown up before I hear why we left."

"Do you miss the city?" Mari asked her.

Julia was going to automatically say no before she stopped herself and then bit at her lower lip a little.

"You want to go back?" Mari asked as she watched her friend wrap her arms around her legs, her knees drawn up. She did the same herself and said, "I'd miss you if you just came here for little visits like you did before."

"I don't want to move back there," Julia said. "But I think I want to stay there when I go to Julliard."

"Are you gonna go to college at all?" Mari asked.

"I think so; Daddy wants me to go," Julia replied.

"But not your mom?" Mari said in surprise.

"Well she does but she says I don't have to if dance is really what I wanna do," Julia answered after recalling how her mother had worded that when she'd talked to them about what she would have to do for collage.

"So why does your dad want you to go?" Mari asked.

"He said it would help," Julia replied, shrugging her shoulders. She then smiled and said, "I told him I would go think about it and then study history there maybe… or literature if I go at the same time as Julliard."

"To be a writer?" Mari said. When her friend nodded she smiled widely and said, "You'll be a really good writer."

"Thanks," Julia said with a slight blush.

"Are you gonna start on the third book yet?" Mari asked since she knew her friend had finished with her second book with her parents just before school had started.

"Not yet, my parents want to wait a little bit so they can write and then we're gonna start on the third one," Julia said. "Right now, I'm on vacation."

"But you thought about it right?" Mari said. When Julia raised her eyes to the sky and started to hum she nudged her side and then laughed with her before they leaned against each other. "Wanna share?"

"Nope," Julia said in such an exaggerated tone that they were laughing together again. When they had finally stopped she said, "I was thinking of writing them going to Liverpool 'cause someone stole a guitar from the Beatles museum we went to. And there I want Rita to come in to help."

"Did you tell your mom and dad your idea?" Mari then inquired.

"No, I came up with it after they told me they got to meet Paul," Julia said.

"You should tell them to ask if it's okay to use the Beatles," Mari said. "And have it be his guitar!"

"I was thinking about that already," Julia told her with a wide smile. "I have to see…"

"Do you want to go back?" Mari said as they looked down the beach together at the sound of both their sisters laughing heavily.

"I guess so," Julia said. She then looked into their pails and said, "I don't think we have enough shells though."

"Aren't we done with the castle?" Mari said in surprise.

"Let's make it bigger," Julia said in a whisper though there was no way her sister would be able to hear her.

"So we can stay longer?" Mari asked with a smile, knowing what her friend was talking about.

With a nod Julia got up with her friend and they began to search through the shells that they could see on the sand before she heard Alexis calling to them. "Oh… guess we gotta go back," she said to Mari. She took her friend's hand and they walked through the incoming waves together before they reached their sisters and Louis. "What're we gonna do now?" she asked.

"I thought you were going to decorate your castle?" Louis asked.

"Go but not too far out," Alexis said with a smile as the two girls glanced at each other at that question.

"Think your mom and dad will solve their case today?" Mari asked her friend as they then ran back into water before standing knee deep.

"Yeah but it might take them a little bit," Julia answered. "It always does," she said before they dove under the water as Louis came out to them. She hoped, as they went underneath a wave, that her parents would have the chance to enjoy their party that night without the case still hanging over their heads.

* * *

"What do you have?" Beckett asked after she and Castle had left the garden.

"Not what we have, what came to us," Skye said.

"What's wrong?" Castle asked, surprised at the expression on the woman's face.

"Come on," Skye said simply, avoiding the question.

Walking back into the station and to the conference room Beckett froze in the doorway when she spotted who was talking to Burke and Fernandez.

"D… Ms. Beckett," the man said when he noticed who was in the doorway.

"Agent Garcia," Beckett replied, forcing herself to walk fully into the room. "What are you doing here?"

"Taking over the case," Castle said before the man could speak. "Well," he added when the agent glared at him. "You did that the last time we saw you. And don't you work on kidnappings?"

"Partially," Garcia said slowly. "But I've been called to assist the LAPD with this case."

"I think there's enough of us here to help with that," Skye commented, knowing who the man was from Beckett telling her when she had Julia had been kidnapped.

"I'm still required to assist since you're facing arson," Garcia replied.

"Anything new?" Beckett asked, glancing over her shoulder as her husband placed his hand on her back briefly.

"There is, there was one fire in New York that used Jet A," Burke replied after a quick look over to Garcia. "Parra found it and she sent us the information."

"It was in a warehouse, much like Artois was using," Fernandez said.

"They were practicing?" Castle asked.

"No," Burke replied. "It was a full-blown fire."

"Can you tell if it's connected to our case?" Mary asked.

"The only thing was the incendiary device," Burke said before an officer came into the room and handed him a file. "This one they finally identified."

"A gas container," Castle said while they were studying two pictures on the board that the detective had placed there. "And… a…"

"It's a fishing lure," Fernandez said. "I've used them and you can't really mask that bright color fully. And I recognize the one used at Phillips' house."

"It's sold locally?" Castle asked.

"In only one store because the owner's father created it," Fernandez replied. "The Lure Shop about three miles from here."

* * *

"Okay?" Castle asked his wife in the backseat of Skye and Mary's car on the way to the store.

"I am, I never really thought I'd see this guy again but I guess I should think the impossible is possible," Beckett said, letting him take her hand.

"Are you going to be okay though?" Mary asked, looking into the backseat at her.

"I will, he was just working the case," Beckett said. "Though seeing him brought back bad memories," she confessed.

"I'd imagine that would happen," Skye said. "We can walk away from the case."

Smiling at the woman offering to take them all off the case Beckett said, "That's nice of you to propose but no, I can't do that. I need to find out who did that to Pablo too… and Phillips."

"We're here," Mary said as she saw they were approaching the store. She got out first and called to Burke who was getting out of the car next to them, "How involved does the agent have to be?"

"Apparently not much," the detective replied. "He's just here as part of the other investigation in NYC."

"Which was his," Beckett said.

"He might have a habit of taking over cases," Castle said. "As I insinuated before."

"Alright, let's go in and see if we're lucky at all to get some names from purchases," Fernandez said to remind them about the case.

Going inside the two detectives went over to the counter to speak with the workers behind it while Castle and Beckett went off through the store as Skye and Mary stayed nearby.

"I'm really hoping he goes away. Soon," Castle told his wife as he took her hand carefully.

"I can work still Rick," Beckett said, stopping him so they could look at each other.

"Are you sure you can?" Castle said though he could tell by her tone with her use of his name that she was serious.

"I can," Beckett said simply. "I'm more focused on the case; like I was before. And you're remembering that I didn't work with Garcia in the end. That was more you and the boys."

"I have to admit, we didn't really do that much," Castle said. "Remember I told you we just mainly reported to him and then he came with us to the house."

"To Queens," Beckett replied easily. When her husband looked at her she said, "It's a location Rick." She then looked back at the front of the store and soon saw Mary was motioning to them.

"They went outside already?" Castle asked in surprise when they reached the front of the store and saw the detectives and Skye were gone.

"They were able to get a list of names," Mary replied. "They sold them as a special edition so they kept a list in case of future theft."

When they reached the three outside Beckett saw that they were standing in between their two cars looking at a list of names. "Sorry," she said as they turned to them walking up to them. "We didn't think you'd go so fast."

"They only sold these once remember," Fernandez said as she'd texted Mary with that. "So the list was in an easy to reach place in the back office. We have thirty names."

"You better hope one of those is an arsonist," Castle commented as they got back into the cars.

The ride back to the station was short and their car was silent as they were all thinking about the case so far. Castle shook himself suddenly and said to the two women in the front, "How did going over the case go?"

"It was alright," Skye said. "And by that, I mean nothing stood out to us. The list is going to be our best possibility."

"I'm a little surprised that Garcia didn't have any suspects in the NYC case," Castle said.

"Rick, no," Beckett said.

"No what?" Mary asked, looking at them again.

"He's going to suggest that it's Garcia who's the killer," Beckett said wearily.

"It would be interesting but Corey thought of that already," Skye said. She could almost feel the surprised looks of the two behind her and she said, "Why do you think Mary kept texting Fernandez after her first one?"

"He's clear?" Beckett asked.

"He is," Skye said, parking at the station again. "So why don't we just focus on the list. Though I must say; fairly rational theory from you."

"I was thinking about a plane being the killer but…" Castle said.

Glancing at Beckett, who was shaking her head, Mary said, "That would be a good movie."

"Too much CGI," Skye said. "Though isn't that what your friend May does?"

"She handles the money for visual effects," Beckett said. "The budget."

Skye nodded as they were inside the station and when they came to the conference room she said to Burke, "He left?"

"I gave him another room," the detective replied. "We'll work better that way."

"So why is he here exactly?" Fernandez asked.

"Because there's a likely connection between your case and mine," Garcia said a little angrily as he walked into the room. "I looked into the lure and you were right; it is local to the shop."

"We have these names," Burke said, hesitating at first before he finally gave the list to the agent. "Any chance they can go through the FBI database too?"

"Yeah let me get a copy," Garcia said before he left.

"Who're you going to have search the names?" Castle asked.

"We will," Fernandez said. "We can divide them and get them done faster." She then turned to Skye, Castle and Beckett and said, "Did you recognize any names on the list?"

"I didn't," Skye said. "And I was looking."

"Do you remember every last name?" Burke asked.

"I will if I see it," Skye explained. "And no, no one from the flight."

"Wait," Castle said. "I thought I saw a name…"

"Here he comes," Beckett said as they looked out to the bull pen to see that Garcia was coming back.

Castle took the list and went over it as fast as he could read it, stopping abruptly at the one he'd seen. "Here," he told the others. "Bishop Hale."

"One of the 'dudes,'" Mary said, putting the last word into air quotes. "I would start there."

"Hopefully that's the same guy," Garcia said before he left for the office that he'd been given.

"If it is him I'm wondering at the alibi," Skye commented.

"Wait to see what they can find," Beckett replied.

"We already did find," Fernandez said. "But that was an officer here at the station; we need the full file."

"I'll start on the other names," Burke said after Fernandez had left.

The four left in the room looked at each other before they moved together to the murder board and studied it for some time before Skye was the first to break the silence.

"If it is Hale then I think we have our motive completely wrong," the investigator said.

"It was never really taken off the table," Castle commented.

"It just looked like the other motives were more likely," Beckett finished. "But I get the strange feeling they're not going to find anything with Hale."

"So pessimistic," Mary said jokingly. She then grew serious and commented, "Maybe there'll be some hint that he has some kind of connection to fire."

"He wasn't one of the friends that were with Pablo at that barn, is he?" Castle said.

"No," Burke said, coming into the room at that moment. He held up the file he had and then said, "But Turner, the other guy at the firm, was."

"You have both there?" Skye asked, looking down at the file as the detective opened it.

"I do," Burke said. "So, Hale was born here in LA at Cedar Sinai in 1975 and he remained here in the area. Attended college at UC Santa Barbara and graduated in the top ten of his class."

"And then joined the firm?" Castle asked.

"Not the one he's currently in," Burke replied. "But he was in two of them before he got to it."

"That's fantastic," Skye said sarcastically. "But what about anything that might help us with the case?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Burke replied. "And he does have a criminal record."

"How is he a lawyer?" Castle asked immediately.

"Because he was arrested last night," Burke said.

"DUI," Castle and Beckett said at the same time.

"He's right here in the station in fact," Burke replied after they stopped. "Where he was held. And besides that there's no other records, no juvie or past instances with the law; even a lawsuit."

"He's looking less likely," Skye said with a sigh. "Just that lure." She reached for the list of names and then read it before saying, "Fernandez is still looking at the names, right?"

"She is, I'm going to talk to Hale," Burke told them. "But just on my own since all I'm getting is an idea of the relationship he had with our first vic and an alibi."

"Are you two going to watch?" Castle asked as they went over to the doorway and he glanced back to see the two women had remained where they were at the table.

"No, we have a feeling how things will go already," Mary replied. "But if something comes up I'm sure you and Burke will let us know."

"We will," Beckett promised before they left. Once they were in observation by themselves she said, "She's getting frustrated."

"I could tell too," Castle replied with a nod. "Hopefully since Mary's here she'll keep calm." He looked inside the room at Burke who was sitting at the table, looking through the file and commented, "He didn't tell us anything about Turner."

"Because there's nothing to say," Beckett replied. "Obviously but I think I know how he's going to go with this interview."

"Bring up Turner?" Castle replied. When his wife nodded he then said, "You were thinking of them working together."

"I'm not, he is," Beckett replied. "I would have said that myself but considering Artois it's unlikely."

"But not improbable," Castle said.

"Which is why he's going to bring that up," Beckett said.

"Do you mind not being in there?" Castle asked.

"I'll tell you the same thing I said the last time you asked that," Beckett said, having to speak quickly as she saw the door opening inside the box. "We're consultants and not necessary this time around." She glanced at her husband and smiled slightly before saying, "I think Burke would have had us go in if we were."

Castle could only nod and they watched the detective interrogate Hale who looked slightly haggard after the night before. He wasn't surprised when the man easily answered the questions that Burke put to him until he got to his alibi for the day before.

"I was at work," Hale replied. "And talking to a client at the time though I lost the case since my boss took it," he added bitterly.

"Alright," Burke said easily, writing something down on a piece of paper. "And I understand that you and your friend Mr. Turner wanted to go to the party that's going to be held at the Getty; for the members of the club."

Hearing the door open behind them Castle and Beckett saw that it was Skye and Mary.

Shaking her head Skye looked into the room and saw that Hale looked to be uncomfortable. Before she could ask the two what was going on the man spoke and drew their attention back to them.

"We thought that woman that landed the plane was hot," Hale replied with a shrug. "And Turner wanted to meet that writer lady too."

"And what exactly were you going to do with them?" Burke asked.

"Nothing, just see them," Hale said though he wasn't exactly meeting the detective's gaze.

"You could have but I'm disturbed a little by the GHB that was found on your person," Burke said.

"Why the hell didn't he tell us about that?" Mary said, sounding angry.

"That wasn't for them," Hale said slowly.

"Well if it was it won't be now," Burke said, standing up and going to the door. He spoke to the officer outside of it and then turned back to look at Hale saying, "You're under arrest for that and I would hope your alibi checks out." He left to allow the officer to escort the man back to holding and when he walked into observation he said, "I wasn't sure about the GHB; where that was going."

"It wasn't found in Phillip's autopsy," Beckett said.

"No but I wanted to hold off until the last minute," Burke said.

"Until you heard his alibi," Skye said. "Which does sound like it works; he'd have a hard time faking speaking with a client."

"Especially if one of his bosses took the case from him," Castle said. "Unless it's the boss who hired someone."

"Interesting theory," Burke said.

"I would wait until you look at the names," Beckett suggested. "They seem like a better priority."

"Speaking of which…" Mary said as they turned to look at Fernandez who ran over to the doorway.

"You have something," Burke said to his partner.

"Maybe," Fernandez said, handing him a piece of paper.

"Floyd Cameron," Burke read.

"We know him," Castle, Beckett and Skye said at the same time.

"He's a journalist," Fernandez said as she and the others were all looking at the three.

"He wrote about your flight I'm going to guess," Burke said.

"He came to the house and interviewed her," Mary said before her wife could speak.

"He spoke to us by phone," Beckett said. "There wasn't really anything about him that raised a red flag."

"Which could be the point I suppose," Skye said, looking troubled. "I wonder though why so many years?"

"Did he ask about the club?" Fernandez said.

"It wasn't around at that point," Castle said. "The year after Pablo started it with the party."

"And when we first heard about it, it was in an e-mail five months before that party," Skye said.

"Our interviews were about… two months prior to that?" Beckett said, looking at her friend.

With a quick nod Skye then said, "If you're going to ask if Cameron talked to Pablo at all we have no idea; he wasn't in the final article."

"But his wife might know," Castle pointed out.

"I'll be back," Burke said.

"I need to keep going through the names," Fernandez said. She turned to the doorway and nearly ran into Garcia who was walking in and they walked around each other before she went back to her office after her partner.

"I'm certain you can tell us what you found," Skye said, looking at the agent who seemed a little uncertain looking at them.

"A Floyd Cameron," Garcia said.

"You're a little late to the party," Castle said. "We-" he started to say before his wife placed her hand on his arm to stop him.

"I'm not surprised they found him too," Garcia commented. "But they probably didn't get this; he was charged with arson two years ago in Iraq when he was imbedded with our troops."

"Charged but not convicted," Beckett said.

"No," Garcia replied. "He was acquitted when the prosecution's main witness backed out and they had no case without him."

"He was bought," Skye said, looking at Castle and Beckett.

"Most likely," Garcia said. "I'll let the detectives know," he said after an uncomfortable silence before leaving to go over to the two.

"I have to wonder at his not trying to take over the case," Skye then said.

"I don't think he has a reason to exactly," Mary said, glancing at Castle as did her wife.

"No, he doesn't," Castle said, not surprised they were doing that. "I just wish he'd leave."

"He's not going to Rick," Beckett told him. "So we'll have to work with him."

Looking at her Castle finally nodded and said, "True, why don't we head back to the murder board? That way they don't have to run that far to get to us."

The three women had no protest to the idea so they were walking to the room where they stood together in front of the board.

"What is it Rick?" Beckett asked when her husband stepped away from them to sit on the table.

"We're going after these people the wrong way," Castle said simply.

"True," Beckett said first before the two women could say anything. "But you do remember we don't have a motive."

"No but we should agree it's our flight," Castle said.

"I'll agree with that," Beckett replied, nodding her head. "But in what capacity?"

"We all survived," Castle replied. "But remember what the killer told Artois, he wished that everyone had died."

"A wife?" Beckett asked. "Or an ex," she continued as she knew already what he'd thought of.

"Exactly, we need to ask Burke if Cameron has either of those," Castle said. "More specifically an ex-wife." He glanced over at Skye and Mary and asked, "No good?"

"Oh no, it is," Skye said first. "Just interesting to see how you two really work. And I like the idea. Why else would you want us all to have d- we survived _grá_ ," she said to her wife when Mary grabbed her arm.

"Sorry," the woman said. "But I don't like that kind of talk."

Watching as Skye embraced her wife with one arm Beckett waited to then say, "Do you know any of the passengers who could have been an ex-wife."

"Tough to say; we'd need to look for that specifically," Skye said after thinking that over for a moment.

"We'd need a computer," Castle commented, glancing over at the office next door. "Burke has something," he said quickly when he saw the detective run out.

"What did you find?" Skye asked as Castle stood up from the table.

"Cameron has a direct connection to the flight," Burke replied. "His ex-wife was in first class. Harriet Mulligan."

"Oh god, you need to make sure-" Beckett started to say.

"I made the call as soon as I found out about the connection," Burke said. "And both officers are going to keep a closer watch on her at the safe house."

"Pablo must have found out about Cameron," Castle said. "Maybe he did interview him-"

"And they became friendly and Pablo found out about his plan to murder his ex," Beckett continued. "And Cameron killed Pablo, then he started with Phillips so we wouldn't figure out who he really wanted to kill."

"He still went ahead with the plan since, luckily, Pablo lives here too," Castle said. When his wife nodded he turned with her to Burke to see what he would say to their theory.

Before the detective could say anything, Fernandez was nearly running into the room, a grim look on her face.

"You found another name," Burke said in reaction to her.

"No, there's another fire," Fernandez replied. "Parra just called me and told me to let you know it looks like it's Jet A fuel. Again."


	22. Climb Rolling Stone Walls

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: Really glad getting the feedback I did for the last chapter so will get to my thank yous for that. TORONTOSUN (It was great to see you liked that Louis and Alexis were talking about their future, thought readers might enjoy that. Also nice that you liked the fact that the girls were hanging out with Alexis and Louis since it was fun to write that. And really great that you still like how Castle and Beckett work a case, it's also fun writing that since they have an interesting way of doing that),  
MsNYC (I'm not surprised you see Castle and Beckett closing in on the case and that they will crack it too. And it was interesting to see your reaction to Garcia though you'll have to see about him. I was glad that you enjoyed Julia and Mari's conversations and that they reminded you of your childhood best friend, nice to evoke memories in readers. And so nice you thought it was good about Alexis and Louis and their long-term relationship since I want them to like that. I was pleased to see you thought it was great writing as usual too!),  
vetgirlmx (Wasn't surprised seeing you mentioning them having a viable suspect. And I've seen people doing that in the true crime shows that I watch and I don't understand it either. I would imagine maybe it's delusions, that it solves all their problems. And I'm not surprised that you find that motive promising though you don't not for sure if it's the one. And you might have looked it up by now but just in case you didn't have time or anything like that, Agent Garcia is the one that took over Beckett's case, Julia's mother's murder in the first story. But not surprised you don't remember him since it's been a long time since he was around. And you made a good point, the case is stressful for all of them since they all have something going on with it Skye being harassed by Parra as Mary's watching while Castle and Beckett had the reminder of Queens in the agent. And you're right that on top of all that is the members of the club dying as well. So yeah, Skye has a reason to be impatient with that. I wasn't surprised to see you're worried about that fire and are hoping it's not another body being burned. I really wasn't surprised to see that you're very excited with Alexis and Louis thinking more about moving to the Hamptons after they have their degrees. You have mentioned you would like it so I had a feeling you'd enjoy that in the chapter and I was right!) and  
Guest (Glad to see you think it's good that Beckett's thinking ahead asking Skye about intimacy between two women, just in case Julia might have any questions in the future. And I'm so happy that you thought the flashbacks for Skye and Mary provide insight into their characters since I was aiming for that. And nice to see you thought they were great too! Actually, Julia does remember Queens, she remembers everything after she was hit on the head at Beckett's apartment building when she was kidnapped, so the house is still in her memory. Everything before that though isn't, hopefully that clears that up. And great you're liking the story so far! Don't worry about reviewing or the idea of falling behind, I know that for some people real life will get in the way so that's the reason why, readers can go ahead and read my stories at their own pace!).  
Thanks so much for the reviews, I loved reading them of course and am grateful for the time taken to write them out and send them my way!

A/N #2: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song _This Guitar (Can't Keep from Crying)_ by George Harrison, from his album _Extra Texture (Read All About It)_.

Climb Rolling Stone Walls

NTSB Training Academy  
Ashburn, Virginia  
May 2000

 _"Alright class," the instructor said as she walked into the room. "We're going to take a closer look at jet fuels today and the evidence they provide in crashes. Who can tell me from your research what temperature the fuel Jet A needs to burn?" She scanned the students in her class standing in front of her in the hangar and said, "McDouglas."_

 _"Higher than one hundred degrees Fahrenheit ma'am," Skye said. "The same as Jet A dash one."_

 _"Good," the woman said. "Now tell me, can jet fuel burn steel beams?" When she received a chorus of no's she said, "Correct so what does that mean for our investigation?"_

 _"The pattern of smoke and other damage tells the investigators the path and degree of the fire," another student said._

 _"Exactly and that's what we're going to be doing today," the instructor replied. "We have here the side panel of the fuselage of a grounded 747-100. It's here for our training and I'm going to light it to show you what Jet A can do to it. Watch very closely and we'll have a look at past investigation photos. McDouglas," she said to Skye. "Come with me and hold the fire extinguisher, when I tell you to put out the blaze."_

 _Skye nodded and looked on as the instructor set fire to a discolored part of the metal where there was a suitcase pressed up against it. She looked on as the flames licked up the wall until the instructor told her to put it out and she quickly did. As the teacher turned her attention to the students behind them she looked at the pattern of smoke, seeing an eerie form of art in the design left behind. But a shudder ran through her at the idea of that bag belonging to a passenger and she memorized the design, knowing that it wasn't the first time she had seen a fire just like that and it wouldn't be the last time either._

* * *

The roar of the water blanketed Beckett as she ran through the liquid where it had fallen to the ground and she nearly slid grabbing Skye's arm. "What are you doing?" she asked in anger as she was terrified for the woman who had launched herself out of the car once they'd reached the blazing apartment complex.

"She's there… Harriet!" Skye screamed up to one of the few blown out windows that didn't have flames licking out of it.

"She's- we need a net, a blanket!" Beckett started to say before she then saw the woman that the investigator had spied. She was relieved when some of the firefighters on the scene came over to them with a blanket and she literally dragged Skye away so they would be out of their way.

"Jump, please!" Skye screamed out.

The woman in the window tumbled out of it until she landed in the blanket, the firefighters carrying her away.

"Is she okay?" Castle asked as Mary took hold of her wife.

"I don't have a pulse," one of the firefighters said. "Get the defibrillator. Folks you need to step away so we can work on her."

"Skye-" Mary started to say to her wife.

"Don't," the investigator replied. She pulled away from her wife and with Beckett joining her they went to one of the firefighters who wasn't holding a hose on the building. "What happened?" she asked.

"We need to know," Parra said, showing her ID to the captain who was about to protest, walking up behind the two women.

"Got a call about twenty minutes ago," the woman replied. "They noticed the fire in the basement and it was moving fast. We were told everyone was out but…."

Whirling around Skye saw that the paramedics working on Mulligan were carrying her away with her body covered. She looked to her wife as she walked up to her and said, "Don't… she…"

"I'm sorry _grá_ ," Mary whispered as she'd watched their efforts to revive the woman.

Beckett closed her eyes and turned to Castle in reaction to that before she murmured, "He didn't kill her first."

"I know, I don't get it," Castle replied as he squeezed her arm gently. "Hey… it's Cameron," he said, looking up at the building and spotting the journalist standing in the window where his ex had fallen out of to her death.

"Cameron, get out of there!" Burke yelled. "We have a blanket for you to jump-"

Before anyone could react, the man disappeared and a second later was leaping out. He missed the firefighters trying to hold the blanket out for him and fell on his head, something tumbling out of his hand once he came to a stop.

"Stay there," Burke said before he and Fernandez went with Parra as close as they could to the body.

"He got caught," Beckett said to her husband. "He didn't have time to get out."

"And he didn't have the chance to kill her," Castle said. "He must have set the fire last minute."

"Maybe," Skye said. "That thing…"

"It's the same incendiary device," Burke said as he walked back to the group waiting for him. "He's our killer."

* * *

"Here," Beckett said, setting down the mug of tea in front of the investigator.

"Thanks, and Mary too," Skye commented as she picked it up. She took a sip of the Irish Breakfast inside and murmured, "She knows how I prefer this." She then sighed and said, "Do you think I'm foolish?"

"No," Castle said, walking inside the conference room as they'd returned to the station after leaving the fire.

"Oh, I'm under interrogation now," Skye commented, trying to be light hearted but not managing it.

"You weren't her guardian," Beckett said, knowing why the woman was taking that tone. "You can't protect every last person on that flight, you're only one person."

Shaking her head Skye said, "Why did she leave the safe house?"

"Because it sounds like Cameron called in to the cops there that everyone could go home," Castle explained, having been told that by Burke. "He was able to mimic Burke's voice and they had no reason to doubt it was his."

With a groan Skye covered her face with her hands before she said, "What about the others?"

"They're back at the safe house now," Beckett reassured her. "At our insistence though Burke and Fernandez are likely going to let them go later this evening."

"So they think that he's really the killer," Skye said under her breath.

"What happened?" Beckett asked. When the investigator looked up at her she said, "What case?"

"It was an Air Berlin flight… she had banked to the right after taking off from LAX," Skye began hollowly. "She was supposed to go left. And since the planes coming in to land were in that airspace they tried to get back to the airport themselves but because something was wrong with the left engines they couldn't get enough power to do so… it was faulty wiring that wore out after about 6,000 hours of flight. It was the first crash I saw from my new office." She took in a deep breath and then spoke to the two, telling them her memories of that morning and how she'd found herself facing a fear of jet fueled fire that had never left her since the crash she had been in as a child.

* * *

 _"They're not going to be able to make it," Feith said behind Skye._

 _"I know… she's on fire," the investigator replied, her voice strangled in the horror of the situation. "How many on board?"_

 _"One-five-six," Feith said grimly._

 _"She's going… she's down," Skye said, looking out the window of her office with binoculars._

 _"Go," Feith said. "I know Comac would put you on the team."_

 _Grabbing her NTSB jacket Skye threw it on as she yelled for the fellow members of her go team before they were going down to the parking and to their cars. She was on the radio she had grabbed on her way out, finding out where the plane had crashed before she pulled up to the golf course directly north of the airport._

 _"Skye the firefighters," a member of her team yelled out to her._

 _Ignoring them Skye ran up as close to the plane that she could but she was very quickly pushed back by the heat of the plane. A sense of desperation made her try again but she was only able to get fifty feet away from the plane before a sudden explosion of heat was nearly throwing her away._

 _"They're getting the foam down now," Feith said, helping Skye up. "No, you can't," he said quickly as she tried to walk over to the plane again. "I'm sorry."_

 _"They could have survived," Skye whispered as she turned back with him once they were out of the way of the firefighters._

 _"They were carrying a full tank of fuel," Feith replied. He wasn't surprised when she wrenched herself out of his grip and took a step forward, staring at the fire. "Skye-" he started to say._

 _"I watched this same fire," the investigator interrupted. "And thought I was going to die. I told myself I'd never let that happen to anyone."_

 _"Come on," Feith told her, taking her arm. "There's nothing we can do until they put out the fire. And they'll be searching for anyone once they clear the scene."_

 _"I'll help them then," Skye said. Walking away and then taking her phone out of her pocket. She dialed Mary and spoke to her about what was going on, keeping her eyes on the fire though slowly it was tamed by the foam._

 _"Be careful," Mary told her when Skye said she was going to head into the plane._

 _"_ I will. I love you _," Skye said, speaking in French then before she hung up. She followed some of the firefighters into the plane, nearly throwing the flashlight in her hand against the wall when she saw the passengers._

* * *

"You never mentioned a fire when you told us about the flight you were on," Beckett was saying to Skye sitting next to her at the table.

"I couldn't really talk about it," the investigator replied. "The only people that know about the fire are those that were on the scene, Mary and my dad." She took a deep breath and said, "While I was laying there trying to scream for someone to help me the fire was burning around the fuselage; there was dried grass outside or… something. I watched it and thought I was going to die. The one thing that stood out to me was the movement, like a sentient being, trying to search out where it could do the most damage. I never forgot that and I always see that when I find evidence of a fire during an investigation."

"But you were ready to run into the building it looked like," Castle couldn't help pointing out.

Standing up so fast that Beckett had to move her hand that had been placed on her shoulder Skye quickly apologized before she said, "It's a kind of love-hate relationship though I don't love it. I'm not an arsonist."

"A respect for it?" Beckett suggested, standing up herself.

"Something like that," Skye replied. "But this case isn't over."

"We agree," Castle said. "A little too easy to be honest."

"Never mind we have his name on the list of those buying the lures and he had more in his pocket," Burke said, walking into the room.

"Corey-" Skye started to say.

Shaking his head Burke held up his hand to stop her saying, "All the evidence points to it and the captain agrees. The case is closed."

"He…" Skye started to say again. But she trailed off and sighed saying, "What about any kind of alibi he may have had?"

"He was off work," Fernandez said, walking into the room. "And none of his friends can pin point his movements that day."

"Neither could we," Burke told them. "Which is what we were doing up to this point since we got back."

"And he was in NYC at the time of the fire there," Garcia said. "So we can wrap up the case there." He shook Burke and Fernandez's hands before he nodded to the others and left the room after handing a file of paperwork to Burke.

"So I'm assuming we need to go?" Skye asked. "Anything we need to sign or…?"

"No but Skye don't be mad at me," Burke said in concern.

"It's not you," Skye began. She then paused and thought for a moment before she sighed and said, "It's the stupidity of Cameron."

"I'd like to give a more likely motive," Fernandez said as Skye, Mary, Castle and Beckett started to make their way over to the door. "Friends of Cameron let us know that he'd been talking about Mulligan more and more; that he needed her to stop being an issue since he was paying her alimony."

"Which would go with what Artois said to us about the killer who talked to him mentioning he wished the flight hadn't made it," Burke reminded them.

Beckett found she had nothing other than her gut instinct that Cameron wasn't the killer to say to that and looking at Skye she could tell that the investigator thought the same as well. Something came to mind and she said, "Did you show a picture of Cameron to Artois?"

"Of course," Burke replied. "And he said the eyes could be the same."

"I'm not getting my hopes up," Skye said when her friend looked at her. "I realize he wasn't looking at them in the sunlight with a magnifying glass. But I remember Cameron did have brown eyes." She took a step towards him then before she paused and said, "You two are welcome to the party tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" Burke couldn't help asking.

Skye smiled slightly and said, "Yeah, you did save the rest of the people on the list."

"And you," Mary was quick to tell her wife.

"And me," Skye said with a hesitant nod. "Come if you can."

After the detectives promised they'd try Beckett followed the two women outside to the car. "Are you okay?" she asked once they were inside and Mary was leaving the station.

"Do you think it was him?" Skye asked immediately.

"No but the evidence does point to him," Castle said. "It's just something inside me is telling me he was set up."

"Maybe," Skye said slowly, turning her head so she could look back at the two. "Do you think we should look into it ourselves?"

"How could we," Beckett said. She wasn't surprised when her husband's head turned rapidly to look at her and she told him, "I'm being literal. We have nothing but what we can remember of the case so far, no evidence, no real way to search."

"She's right," Skye said. "The only thing we can do is ask them to look things over one last time."

"Which you did," Castle said.

Holding up her phone and shaking it in her hand slightly Skye said, "They're going to do so; turns out the chief is really uncertain now."

"What brought that on?" Mary asked.

"Me, they told him I had my doubts which led Corey and Fernandez to tell him that you did as well," Skye said. "And when he heard that the captain insisted they make absolutely sure they have the killer."

"He'll call?" Castle asked.

"He'll call, even if we're at the party," Skye replied before she sat straight again. "And with that I guess it's time to get ready."

"It is," Mary said, looking at her wife.

Watching as the two women held hands for a second Beckett looked at her husband and let him take her own as they continued to Santa Monica.

* * *

"It just occurred to me," Castle commented. "That the case is probably over."

"What makes you think that?" Beckett asked as she stepped out into the bedroom to go to where he was waiting on the window seat.

"The jet fuel," Castle replied. "I wonder if Skye forgot they found everything that Artois stole at the warehouse, except for what was used at all the fires."

"I don't think so but you realize she's not looking at Artois as the killer," Beckett said when he turned to her.

"I do," Castle said as he stood up when she stopped in front of him. "I'm just saying that because I'm hoping you can help her forget the case for tonight."

Beckett was going to speak before she paused and thought for a moment. When she finally gathered her thoughts she said, "First I really think that Mary will help her. And second she knows Burke and Fernandez won't be giving up until they absolutely can; they are good detectives and she knows that."

Nodding Castle asked her, "Should we shake off the case?"

"For tonight," Beckett said as she was straightening his lapels on his suit blazer. "But-" she started to say before there was a knock on the door downstairs. She shared a look with her husband and wasn't surprised when he leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips before they went down together.

"Hullo," Skye said with a smile. "Sorry about interrupting you two but I just wanted to see what you two are thinking about the case."

"Where's Mary?" Castle asked.

"Getting ready," Skye said easily.

"Come in," Beckett said, reaching out and taking her arm to gently pull her. "Does she know you're here?"

"Of course," Skye said. She was going to speak when she then stopped and with a slight quirk of her lips said, "I'm glad we're not matching fully."

"I know," Beckett said since they were both wearing women cut suits though hers was black while the investigator's was ecru colored. "But we should talk about the case since you want to."

With a heavy groan Skye was about to start pacing the room when she was suddenly grabbed. "What?" she asked in surprise.

"Sorry, you were going to make me dizzy if you started doing that," Beckett said, smiling at her. "Sit," she said as she pulled her over to the couch that was in the small living room.

"I'll be outside," Castle said then before he slipped out of the door.

"Does he know he didn't have to leave?" Skye asked Beckett as the woman was sitting next to her.

"Yes, but I bet he thinks this might devolve into girl talk or something like that," Beckett said though she was smiling at the same time. "But we will talk."

When she noticed her friend was looking at her pointedly Skye couldn't help smiling and she said, "I just feel like we're missing something."

"Have you called Burke since you texted him in the car?" Beckett asked.

"I did just before I came out here; texted him I should say," Skye answered. "I could tell; even in a message; that he was angry and I got the unspoken… texted message to leave him be and he'd tell me if they found anything that pointed to someone else but Cameron."

"You can't blame him, if they solved the case it was done so very quickly," Beckett said gently. "And it got rid of Garcia too but I may be just speaking for my husband there."

"Likely," Skye said musingly. When Beckett glanced at her questioningly she just said, "The motive."

"True," she said. Beckett sighed as she leaned back against the couch and told her friend, "I think what they have for Cameron is good."

"It would explain it I do realize that," Skye replied. "I just can't help but think there was more to Pablo than just him figuring things out."

"We need to wait for Burke and Fernandez," Beckett told her gently.

With a nod Skye nearly jumped up and said, "Were you going to not think about the case while we're at your party?"

"That was the plan," Beckett replied as she stood up as well. "Rick and I agree that we trust the two to find anything that we may have missed."

"That's true," Skye said with a nod. "Since we're all looking at the same case." She then gave a brief sigh and said, "Well I do trust Corey and he trusts Fernandez so we should go out and see if my wife's ready."

"Hey," Castle said, turning to the two women as they stepped outside. "Are we ready?"

"We are but I see Mary's not," Skye replied. She then smiled a little and said, "I'll check on her," before she left the two and headed up to the house.

"Is she okay?" Castle asked his wife.

"She'll try and forget it for now," Beckett said.

"Try being the operative word," Castle commented. When she nodded he then wrapped his arm around her as she stepped up to him and said, "It'll be hard to think about it when we're busy with the party."

"I know," Beckett said, closing her eyes as her husband pressed his lips to her temple. She turned her head so she could look up at him and cupped his face with her hands to bring him down to her.

Kissing her deeply; since his wife was doing so to him at that moment; Castle knew they should worry about their friends coming outside and seeing them but he couldn't really put too much effort in that. He was busy trying to duel with his wife's tongue that she'd slipped into his mouth and when he fought back she drew him back to her own. He held her tightly to him while their heads were tilting back and forth until they were parting for air. "We should have done that inside," he told her as they pressed their foreheads together.

"I was planning on starting that," Beckett said with a smile. "But things didn't really work out in the end."

"No though I hope you could help Skye some," Castle said, reluctantly letting her go as they both turned to the house. "I wish the girls could have gone to this."

"The museum itself won't be open," Beckett replied, smiling as she knew what he was thinking and that he was using that to distract himself from kissing her again. She was pleased to know he wanted to again but knew they ran the risk by then of being discovered. "So better they're at home, almost in bed."

With a nod Castle turned his attention to the home with her where he saw that Skye and Mary were coming out. When they were near enough for them to see he muttered out of the corner of his mouth, "Swollen lips."

"And we're not going to have the same?" Beckett said, raising her eyebrow slightly at him. She rolled her eyes when he shrugged but smiled and said to the two women, "Now we're ready."

"I don't know," Skye said. "I wonder if we should really go."

"The one good thing about where we're going to be tonight," Castle said as they walked over to the car outside the garage. "You can disappear to the garden whenever you two get bored."

"Why do you think we agreed?" Mary said jokingly as her wife opened the passenger door for her.

While they were heading out of the neighborhood Skye said, "How will this go exactly?"

"First, we'll walk around and greet everyone," Castle said. "And then we have dinner… I heard that we're going to be outside that café down closer to the garden."

"That's a good spot… but not very big how many people are going?" Mary asked.

"We were told about fifty but the four of us are sharing a table," Beckett replied.

"That was at my insistence," Castle commented. "I didn't want the two of us to have to waste time with answering questions from people we didn't know. We have to do that later."

Skye laughed as she got onto the 405 and said, "I guess limiting it to when you can find an excuse to walk away helps."

"It does," Castle replied.

"You're speaking from experience," Mary stated instead of asking.

"A lot of experience and even from before I had Kate to rely on," Castle said honestly. He smiled at his wife and said, "Though of course I rely on you for much more than that."

"Thank you," Beckett said laughingly, looking at the hotel that they were passing.

"I always forget that's not Capitol Records," Castle commented as the building was nearly the same shape.

"That's a little further south," Skye said with a smile. "But I can understand why," she said as she got off the freeway. "I was afraid of traffic."

"What if there had been?" Castle couldn't help asking.

"There's a way from our home to go but it's a pain to reach," Skye said before she reached the booths before the parking structure.

"Hey, I'm Richard Castle," he said as he leaned out of the window before Skye could speak with the man there. "And this is my wife Kate Beckett."

"We were told you would be arriving with two women," the man replied. "Enjoy your party."

After waving to the man Castle sat back as Skye drove into the structure before she went to the level where the trolley was.

"Something I want to ask," Mary said while they were getting out of the car.

"Go ahead," Beckett said, wondering what she was thinking.

"Are you going to allow your daughters to go?" Mary said.

"We are," Castle answered. "I let Alexis go but not until she was fifteen."

"Good idea, though honestly how raucous do these get?" Skye asked.

"We want to keep them away from anyone over indulging in the liquor that's served," Beckett explained.

"That makes sense," Mary said with a nod. "Now I'm glad we didn't bring the girls. What about tomorrow?"

"Isn't that your purview?" Castle asked.

"Now it is and there will be liquor but they won't be the only kids there," Skye said. "Corey will bring his son since his wife is going too."

"Anyone else?" Beckett said.

"Whoever wants to bring their kids," Skye said simply. "You know," she said as they were directed to walk straight to the trolley that was waiting there. "You might want to prepare yourselves for autographs."

"Did you say something about that?" Castle inquired.

"No but they know you're here for the new book so they might have copies," Skye said with a smile. "And I think you wouldn't really mind."

"No, not for everyone… from the flight," Beckett said slowly as they got onto the trolley, glancing at Skye for the immediate reminder of the case.

"I was saying to Skye as she was getting dressed," Mary said quickly as the door closed and the car headed up the hill. "I was hoping you wouldn't be wearing the same thing Kate. Luckily you were alike just in style."

"Just barely," Skye said, smiling at her wife.

"Oh, something I wanted to tell you about your outfit," Castle said. "Besides that it looks nice," he began slowly. "I love the touch of the scarf."

"Something in me felt Scottish," Skye said with a smile. "I would imagine it's because of _Mull of Kintyre_ we sang yesterday."

"What clan is that supposed to be?" Beckett asked.

"Douglas," Skye said looking down at the blue and green plaid scarf tied as a belt around her trousers, the ends hanging down about four inches from her waist. "Which is close enough though I do have a bit of Scots in me. My father's father's side moved down to Liverpool from Edinburgh before the family became Scousers."

"I'm not under dressed, am I?" Mary asked then.

"I don't think so," Beckett replied, studying the woman's aqua blue dress. "Do you ever wear a suit at the same time?"

"We have," Skye answered first. "But we'll go different styles; colors."

"She tends towards black," Mary said, nodding to her wife. "Though she chose this one tonight because it's a bit warm still."

"Never mind it's nearly night," Skye said with a smile. "But I suppose this time I just wanted to show off my scarf."

"Are we the first here?" Beckett asked her husband after they'd finished laughing as they were at the top of the line.

"I think so, I would imagine those cars we saw were the workers," Castle commented as they stepped out. He saw a couple people standing at the bottom of the large flight of stairs leading to the first building and he said, "This'll be the coordinator; since our agent and publisher aren't here."

Knowing her husband was telling that to the other women Beckett turned her attention to the men walking up to them and she said, "Coordinator," rapidly.

For a moment Castle wondered what she was talking about before he realized that one of the men likely was representing the museum to make sure the party went well.

"Mr. Castle, Ms. Beckett," the shorter of the men said first. "I'm Noah Goldman, representative of the Getty."

"And I'm Ralph, we spoke on the phone already," the other man said, shaking their hands after Goldman had. "And you can come to where the party will be mainly, here in the courtyard."

After introducing Skye and Mary the group walked up to the main building until they reached the courtyard and the two men told the four that they were free to walk around all the way to the garden. With that they were left alone and they looked at each other before they started to laugh.

"I think we should walk in the garden while we still have daylight," Skye said to her wife.

"I agree," Castle said, taking Beckett's hand. "It would give us an advantage to arrive after everyone gets here," he said, motioning around them.

"We'll see you," Mary said breezily.

"The garden isn't that big," Beckett called, trying to be serious though she was laughing as she spoke. When the two had disappeared, she said to her husband, "We could still go."

"I did want to go but wanted to let them get ahead," Castle replied, nodding his head. They followed the path of the women, looking at the terrace where they would be having dinner, and seeing that workers there were setting out in the middle of the round tables a display of their book. "I wonder if any of the fans realize where exactly you took the picture," he said.

"I don't think they could, the stairs at Lyndhurst were very short," Beckett said with a smile as she glanced quickly at the cover before she looked ahead then. "And we did thank them in the back of the book."

"So some people know," Castle said. He smiled when she laughed and as they reached the garden and began to walk through it he couldn't help recalling when they'd gone to take the pictures; right before they'd left for Ireland and their summer vacation.


	23. Climb Rolling Stone Walls (Part 2)

_"I hope you won't have any difficulties," the Lyndhurst employee said to Beckett._

 _"I won't, thank you for helping me out with setting this up," she said as she was holding her camera. She watched the woman nod and then leave before she nearly breathed out in relief. But she was alone soon after and turning to the stairs leading up to a door she knelt. Tilting her camera up she started to take pictures before she then took some from about knee level just in case. She checked her shots when she had finished and smiled before she then grabbed the bag where the mask and her husband's knife had been transported. With them stowed away safely she turned to the lawn that had been behind her, spotting her husband and their daughters easily since they were running around together._

 _Bringing her camera up Beckett started to take pictures of the three as she neared them, unable to help smiling at the way the girls were crying out in joy as their father chased them. When they spotted her, she wasn't surprised when Julia and Eliza ran to her and hid behind her. "Are you two okay?" she asked, trying to sound as serious as she could._

 _"No, the mad doggie is gonna chase us," Eliza said, pointing at Castle who'd stopped a little away from them._

 _"_ Couldn't make it more realistic _?" Beckett called to her husband teasingly as he hadn't made his hair stand up as he did at home._

 _"_ And make everyone here wonder what I was doing exactly _?" Castle shot back, smiling at her use of Irish._

 _"I don't think they'd care," Beckett replied. "Come here."_

 _"Sure," Castle said easily, knowing she wanted to stop the game. He walked the rest of the way up to them and as soon as he was with her he wrapped his arms around her tightly and kissed her._

 _"Yay," Julia said jokingly when the two had parted. "Now the mad dog isn't mad anymore."_

 _"Tame?" Beckett asked her husband teasingly._

 _"That sounds about right," Castle said before he let go of her. He took her camera that she immediately handed over and he looked at the pictures. "We need to get some shade; I can't see a thing."_

 _"Here, let's sit under the big tree," Eliza said eagerly._

 _"Hold on," Beckett said laughingly as the little girl was already pulling her by the hand. She let her lead her over to an enormous elm tree and sat first while Castle and Julia were following. "Can you see now?" she asked._

 _"I can, we can ask Payton to extend those stairs and it'll be perfect," Castle told her as he nodded his head. Smiling up at her he then leaned over, kissing her gently on the lips before he leaned back. Looking at her he watched as Julia leaned against her on her other side and he switched the camera to take a picture of the three._

 _"You didn't say to smile Daddy," Eliza protested though she was smiling._

 _"I know, that was the point," Castle replied. He then laughed as the two went over to him and he let them look at the picture before he said to his wife, "Not as good as you."_

 _"No this is good," Beckett replied after Julia had carefully brought her camera over. She heard her husband then moving and looked up to see that Eliza was pushing him. "Rick your knee," she said in concern._

 _"I'm alright," Castle said. "Take it easy Eliza, I'm sitting."_

 _"No, here Daddy," Eliza said, stamping her foot on the ground as she pointed to the tree._

 _"I think they're going to start taking pictures now," Castle said to his wife in amusement once they were pushing her as he leaned back against the trunk._

 _"I guess so," Beckett said, laughter in her voice as well. Once they were sitting together she watched as Julia started to take pictures but then went away to a birch tree near them with her little sister. Smiling up at her husband she said, "I'm glad we came here."_

 _"So am I," Castle replied. He was going to speak but he couldn't stop the urge to kiss her which he quickly did. They were a little intense at first before he heard a giggle from the girls and stopped, pulling away from her breathlessly. "Kate," he breathed out to her huskily as they looked at each other._

 _Though Beckett could have just stared at her husband she couldn't forget their daughters and she tore her gaze away from him to check on them. She couldn't help smiling as Eliza was holding the camera, taking a shot of Julia reaching up to the lowest branch of the tree they were under._

 _"They're taking after you love," Castle said as he nuzzled her hair._

 _"And they're doing the same with you," Beckett was quick to say._

 _With a smile as they looked at each other Castle said, "Don't worry; I'm reminded they're my daughters."_

 _Beckett wrapped her arms around her husband's neck as he lowered his head to hers. They kissed deeply then and for a time they both forgot about their daughters though she was sure to remind herself they were still there and could see them._

 _When they slowly pulled away Castle said, "They better be under that birch tree."_

 _Turning her head with him to look over at the tree Beckett saw that they had moved though just to the next one and she smiled saying, "Close, it's an alder."_

 _Castle shrugged and together they stood up, following her as she was first. Before they could walk over to their daughters he leaned over and kissed her on the lips quickly before taking her hand. "How's the photography going?" he asked the two once they'd reached them._

 _"Really good," Julia said first. "I was careful that I didn't delete your pictures Mommy."_

 _"I trust you," Beckett said, wrapping her arm around the girl as she had come over to her._

 _"I was too Mommy," Eliza said, wrapping her arms around her from the other side._

 _"Oh I know, I saw," Beckett assured her, hugging her back._

 _"How could you?" Julia blurted out. "You were kissing Daddy."_

 _"Julia," Beckett said though she didn't really have much scolding in her voice._

 _"I saw," the girl said with a shrug. She shared a look with her little sister and they began to giggle together. When they stopped she looked up at their parents and asked, "What're we gonna do now?"_

 _"We can walk around the grounds a little more," Beckett said as her husband looked at her. "But we need to get going home before traffic starts." She wasn't surprised when the girls then rushed in front of them and started to cry out together as they zig zagged back and forth in front of them. "We should follow," she said, taking Castle's hand._

 _"Yes, but not like that," he replied. "My knee really wouldn't like it." Castle wrapped his arm around his wife and they walked together down the expansive lawns underneath the green trees prepared for summer._

* * *

 _"Good night Julia," Beckett said from the doorway where she and Castle were standing that night at home. When she turned to him she wasn't surprised when her husband opened his mouth to speak and she pressed her finger to her lips to quiet him down. She reached over to take his hand and together they went down to the kitchen and from there left for the gazebo, leaving the door open behind them so they'd be able to hear the dogs._

 _"I think," Castle said with a smile once they were sitting together, pressed close. "I'm getting more impatient for vacation."_

 _"I'm not surprised," Beckett said, leaning her glass over to him to tap it against his. She took a sip of it and looked at him as he was drinking, something came to her then and she smiled before he turned his attention to her._

 _"What is it?" Castle asked in slight surprise._

 _With a smile Beckett cupped his face with her freehand and brought him down to her so they could tenderly kiss. They lingered slightly; since they'd had to repress with their daughters all day after their excursion; and then parted with a smile at one another. "I was remembering Father's Day."_

 _"Oh," Castle said, smiling widely. "That was a lot of fun."_

 _"It was," Beckett replied, wondering if she should tell him of what she'd been unable to ignore when they were celebrating with their daughters and she'd watched him with them. The desire to have another child had hit her exceptionally hard that day and she'd been wrestling with the desire in her mind since then; unsure if she was completely prepared for that or not. But her husband was looking at her and she then smiled and said, "It was a lot of fun."_

 _"I'm glad you agree," Castle said, wondering if she knew that she'd been quiet for some time and had then repeated herself. But he didn't want to push her if she wasn't going to say outright and he said to her, "Are you okay?"_

 _"I am, just thinking some things over," Beckett replied. When her husband nodded she smiled and said, "What do you think about tonight?"_

 _"It is tonight," Castle said. He drained the rest of his champagne and then said to his wife, "Come on." With that they stood up together and went back into the house, his hand on her abdomen though he'd had no idea what she'd been thinking before. At that moment it didn't matter, his focus was entirely on her and he was quick to lead her up to their room as their desire for each other rose each step they took until the door closed and was locked behind them._

* * *

"Rick?" Beckett said to her husband when she asked him a question and he didn't answer. "Rick," she said a little louder.

Shaking his head, wondering why his memory of going to Lyndhurst had gone to that night when his wife had told him later in Ireland that she'd nearly told him she'd wanted them to start trying to have another child, Castle said, "Sorry I was remembering Lyndhurst."

"I'm not surprised," Beckett said with a smile. "I was asking if we could go on that road over there."

Looking to where she was pointing ahead of them Castle said, "Yeah we can try." As they were walking over to it road he thought of something and asked her, "How come you want to go?"

With a smile Beckett said, "The view."

"You don't have your camera though," Castle said.

"I want to try and get a picture of the view with my phone," Beckett replied. "I would send it to the girls but they'll be getting ready for bed so I'll wait for tomorrow."

With a nod Castle held her hand as they walked the winding path in front of the pond in the middle of the garden and they stood at the road to see what they could of the view of Santa Monica and the rest of Southern California. "Really nice," he commented as his wife was taking pictures. He looked to their right and said, "There's Catalina."

"Great, I was hoping we could see it," Skye said, suddenly appearing behind them.

"Good memories?" Castle asked as he and Beckett turned to them.

"I'm sure you two feel the same about where you first were," Mary said, glancing around to make sure no one could hear.

"It's the bed in the loft," Castle said simply.

Skye smiled and said, "Then I suppose every time you're there makes it a bit more exceptional."

"Something like that," Beckett said, smiling at her husband when he just nodded once.

"I had wondered why you were out here," Skye then said, stepping up to Beckett as Castle had walked away from them to go down the road a bit.

"Just to look," she answered, pocketing her phone. Beckett glanced at her friend and saw she was looking down to the 405 before she said, "You're still thinking?"

"So are you two," Skye said easily, turning to her and smiling. "But I suppose the party will start soon so we'll have the chance to think about other things then."

"I don't think it's then," Castle said as he had turned back toward the museum to look at the view of the white buildings and green garden. He spotted someone walking towards them and told the women, "Either we're not where we're supposed to be or it's time."

"Likely it's time," Beckett said, seeing the man. "That's Ralph."

"Did he ever say his last name?" Castle asked the others as they started walking back to the garden.

"No," the women said, walking ahead of them as Beckett held her husband back.

"What's wrong?" Castle asked her.

"No, I want to come back here," Beckett told him with a smile. "When it's night."

"Oh sure," Castle said quickly with a nod. He glanced back one last time at the view they'd had and then leaned down once he was looking at his wife again. Kissing her tenderly he slowly pulled away before he said, "Last time."

"I'm sure we'll have the chance when we come back," Beckett told him, affecting an exasperated tone. She smiled when he did; not surprised he didn't buy that for a second; and she wrapped her arms around him tightly before they kissed again. Once they parted she murmured, " _I love you_ Rick."

" _I love you too_ Kate," Castle replied, nuzzling her temple before their lips met. When they parted shortly after he couldn't help smiling and telling her, "I guess that was more than just the last."

"It was," Beckett said. She was tempted to stay there for longer but she finally had to concede and asked her husband, "Where is he?"

"Skye and Mary stopped him up by the waterfall," Castle replied since he could look past her and see. "But he keeps looking over here," he continued with a sigh.

Letting him go Beckett had to say, "Rick, hands," since he was clutching at the small of her back. "Rick!" she exclaimed when he moved them so just his wrists were resting on her.

With a very heavily exaggerated sigh Castle let her go and then took her hand saying, "I'll have to make do with this."

"You will, let's go," Beckett told him, pulling him down the path so they could reach the coordinator.

After making their way up to the courtyard Castle and Beckett were announced to the guests that had gathered and they nodded to their applause before they shared a glance. With that they began to work their way through everyone, startled to see there were more people than they had expected.

"They don't look quite happy, do they?" Skye murmured to her wife as they watched the two.

"Look," Mary said when someone moved out of the way of a man she'd thought looked familiar.

"They're here," Skye said, smiling at her. "I suppose I should tell Rick and Kate."

"Since this party is for them; yes," Mary said simply before they went together to the couple.

"Oh hello, how are you doing?" Castle asked when he realized that he was turning to shake Skye's hand.

"We didn't tell you; as they weren't sure they were going to come; but everyone from the safe house is here," Skye said.

"She invited them-" Mary began to say, glancing at her wife.

"It's alright," Beckett interrupted. "We're glad to see them; and they'll be safe."

"They will," Skye said. " _Thank you_ ," she whispered to Beckett in Russian, her hands pressed together.

"It's not a problem," Castle said. "I know the word," he said with a smile to the two women who looked startled. "We should definitely greet them," he directed to his wife.

"We should," Beckett echoed with a smile, slipping her arm through his to hold onto the top of his.

It took a while to greet the six that were there from the safe house but once they had Castle said to them all, "You've heard?"

"We did," Molineux said first, looking somber.

"Did any of you know Harriet outside of the club?" Beckett couldn't help asking. When Skye looked at her she wasn't surprised to see her friend look relieved and she gave her a brief smile and turned to the others.

"I did," Molineux replied. "And she'd told me about her ex; they divorced around… three months before the flight and she mentioned he had been disappointed seeing her after it."

Skye sighed and said, "I hope you guys will enjoy tonight," as the coordinator was announcing that dinner was ready to be served on the terrace. She and Mary remained together with Castle and Beckett and when they were alone she said in resignation, "That's it."

"You don't know that for sure," Castle had to say.

"I can finish that for you," Skye said with a slight smile. "It's looking like it is." When he hesitantly inclined his head she said, "Let's get back to your party. I just wanted them to be treated to a nice dinner."

"It's alright," Beckett said reassuringly. "You're right they should have something like this after obviously being in fear of their lives. But Simone…"

"I know, I could tell too," Skye replied. She paused and then said, "Oh god," as she looked over to her wife.

"Do you think they had something together?" Castle asked as he realized what the investigator was thinking.

"I think so, I should talk-" Skye started to say.

"I will, but later in the garden," Mary stopped her wife. "I have experience of a kind and can talk to her about this."

"Okay," Skye said before they made their way down the stairs and to the terrace where people were gathered at the tables.

Once they were served by the caterers Castle and Beckett talked with their friends before suddenly talk turned to the morning after their first times together. The discussion of that was done in Irish and Castle talked about his and Beckett's before the two women did, talking about it a little more in detail than they had in Ireland.

" _I still can't believe he shoved you into the closet,_ " Skye said, looking at Beckett when he had finished and they'd managed to stop laughing.

" _He's apologized for it… repeatedly_ ," Beckett said, glancing at her husband.

" _She still brings it up_ ," Castle said as if he was complaining about it.

" _I think she's justified_ ," Mary said jokingly. " _But I suppose it's something for the two of you to look back on and laugh about; a positive memory_."

When the three looked at her Beckett laughed behind her hand and then said, " _After we realized we both didn't want our relationship to be out in the open yet yes I was able to_."

" _Besides the obvious reason_ ," Skye said. " _Because of your partnership; why didn't you want at least your mother to know about you two_?"

" _I think it's because everyone was so sure we'd get together_ ," Castle began, looking at his wife as he was speaking. " _We wanted to prove them wrong for just a little bit longer_."

" _That and we wanted to keep things between the two of us_ ," Beckett said with a slight smile. " _Though that was the last time we did that of course_."

" _We had no choice_ ," Skye said ruefully. " _My dad already knew because he'd brought her over to the home knowing_ Mary _was going to ask me out. And then we had that bloody debacle with us being a former patient and doctor_."

" _We did have that night_ ," Mary murmured then.

" _True_ ," Skye said, smiling at her.

" _That's why you went to_ Catalina?" Castle asked though he knew the answer.

" _Partially that and partially because we'd been told it was romantic_ ," Skye answered.

" _What about your morning after_?" Beckett asked.

" _That was a bit interesting_ ," Mary said, smiling at her wife.

With a mock groan Skye looked up and shook her head before she then said, " _It is, I suppose I should tell this since it involves me_." When her wife nodded she then said with a smile on her face, " _I was up first and was trying to be quiet but shortly after she was waking up_."

* * *

 _"Skye?" Mary asked, raising her head from her pillow slightly and blinking a few times._

 _"Yeah?" the investigator said, freezing in buttoning the rest of her blouse._

* * *

" _You got dressed_?" Beckett said in surprise.

" _I'll explain why_ ," Skye said with a smile.

 _"Are you leaving already? The ferry goes all day," Mary told her girlfriend as she sat up._

 _"I…" Skye trailed off, staring at her girlfriend's breasts as she was still naked._

" _Funny, I was naked our morning after_ ," Castle commented. He looked across the table at Skye and Mary who were frozen with their forks halfway up to their mouths. " _Sorry_ ," he said. " _But I was_ ," he finished with a shrug.

With a slight clearing of her throat Skye then said, " _So I was a little frozen in that moment because she caught me and she was en dishabille. Before you call me out on that_ ," she directed quickly to Castle. " _The bed sheet was still covering her so word that still applies_."

" _Okay_ ," Castle laughed.

" _What happened then_?" Beckett asked.

" _She posed for me_ ," Skye said seriously. She then broke and started to laugh before the others did and eventually shook her head telling them, " _No she just sat there looking at me which was really disconcerting_."

* * *

 _"I… could get something for breakfast," Skye said very slowly._

 _"You don't need to, sit," Mary finally said as she got up. She watched her girlfriend move to the end of the bed and before she could turn around she wrapped her arms around her from behind. "So you didn't enjoy last night," she stated instead of asking._

 _Breathing out heavily Skye said, "I did I just wasn't sure what I should do now. They don't teach you this in the Academy," she tried to finish with jokingly._

 _"No but this isn't your job," Mary said before she pressed her cheek to the side of her head. "Now I want you to undress and come back to bed."_

 _"Checkout…" Skye whispered a little hoarsely as her girlfriend was kissing at the side of her neck after moving her hair out of the way._

 _"Is at twelve," Mary said simply with a smile at her though she couldn't see it. "And it's only eight; we have plenty of time to practice."_

 _"Practice?" Skye whispered with a gasp at the end as she felt her girlfriend unbuttoning her shirt._

 _"Yes, practice," Mary said. "You were a little uncertain still I could tell; we'll have to work that out of you."_

 _"Okay," Skye murmured when her shirt fell open. When her girlfriend's hand slipped inside it she closed her eyes and finally turned until she pushed Mary back on the bed where they soon made love once more._

* * *

" _So you had the bonus of not being interrupted_ ," Castle commented.

" _I know, we weren't_ ," Mary said, smiling at her wife.

" _Just so you know_ ," Skye then told the two. " _I wasn't always so nervous_."

" _I get the feeling if you were you wouldn't be wearing the rings you are on your hand_ ," Beckett said with a smile.

" _True_ ," Skye said before she laughed. " _That and my wife can be persuasive_."

" _I can_ ," Mary replied. " _I usually tend to that_."

" _Probably why it works for you two_ ," Castle commented, finishing his wine.

" _Are you having anymore_?" Beckett asked him.

" _No_ ," Castle said quickly. He motioned to a waiter from the catering company to ask for some water before he said, " _This is nice_."

" _It is_ ," Skye said. " _Thank you for inviting us_."

" _You're invited to the ones in_ San Diego _you know_ ," Castle told the two.

" _We thought so_ ," Skye said with a smile. " _And we're looking forward to that too_."

" _That reminds me_ ," Beckett said, with a glance to her husband. " _What are we going to do there? It won't take us long to do the signings we have_."

" _Why are you leaving it up to us_?" Mary asked in amusement. " _You're the visitors_."

" _Yes, but to thank you for letting us stay and everything else we want to let you pick a place_ ," Castle replied.

With a slight smile Skye finished up her wine herself and said, " _Then I suppose we'll have to think on that_." She glanced at her wife and said, " _Unless we know already_."

" _I think we do_ ," Mary replied.

"Oh…" Skye said with a smile. She was going to speak before she hesitated and didn't continue until Castle and Beckett urged her to continue. " _I'd love to get to the_ _Air and Space Museum_."

" _That sounds great_ ," Castle said, amazed she'd said that in Irish.

" _I'm eager_ ," Beckett replied when the others turned to her. " _We didn't go there before so I say let's go ahead_."

" _Do they know you there_?" Castle asked the investigator.

" _No, I haven't been since before the flight_ ," Skye replied musingly.

" _Anywhere else you want to go_?" Beckett then asked.

"Oh _the usual; where we always go when we're in_ San Diego," Mary said. "Old Town, Seaport Village, Horton Plaza _. Though that last one I think we should wait and see_."

" _I'm game for the first two_ ," Castle said. He was going to speak when he hesitated and said, " _We couldn't go to at least the_ Casa de Estudillo _could we_."

" _I don't know_ ," Skye replied since he was talking to her. " _I would let me go in first, see what it feels like there_." Her eyes glanced towards her friend and she said, " _Don't roll your eyes at me; you don't want to risk it_."

" _Fine_ ," Beckett said with a sigh. " _I guess I shouldn't want what happened at the_ Winchester _to happen there_."

" _Exactly_ ," Mary said. " _But there hadn't been much there_."

" _No, I think the activity there is a bit tame_ ," Skye said. " _Though I did get the scent of perfume once in the sala and around one of the bedrooms. You know_ Señor Estudillo _had five daughters_."

" _And that was it_?" Castle asked.

" _Seven sons_ ," Mary said. She looked at Castle in surprise with the other two and saw that the clatter was his fork that had dropped onto his plate.

" _Sorry_ ," Castle said quickly as he picked up his fork. " _Seven_?" he then said in shock.

" _That gets more of a reaction than the five daughters_?" Skye said, glancing at Beckett.

" _I have three daughters_ ," Castle said quickly. "Wow _I… hope the mother was alright after twelve kids_."

" _We don't know, we don't know the story that far besides what we heard from the house tour_ ," Mary said. " _But I would imagine he and his wife were in love_."

" _Extremely_ ," Castle said. "Love?" he asked her.

Biting her lower lip Beckett didn't say anything, just pointed over at Skye who was covering her mouth with her napkin obviously fighting her laughter. " _I guess if we lived back then that would be us but we're in more modern times so I'm happy having two children_."

" _You'll have four_ ," Mary commented, keeping her voice low though she was sure no one around them could understand them.

" _And we're fine with that_ ," Beckett said first. " _We were aware of that before we started_."

" _That's also all we'll have_ ," Castle added. " _We talked about that too_."

" _So that's all you have to suggest for San Diego_?" Beckett asked to change the subject.

" _I think so; you're there for three days_?" Skye asked. When the two nodded she then became thoughtful and said, " _What would you say to the zoo_?"

" _We were talking about that ourselves_ ," Castle said with a smile. " _That would be nice to do_."

" _I was almost going to suggest the_ Safari Park _but I get the feeling you'd wait to go there with your kids_ ," Skye told them.

" _You're right_ ," Castle said, turning to Beckett.

" _I'm okay with going… to be honest I would love to get another look at it_ ," she replied.

" _Then take your camera and make sure you take a lot of pictures_ ," Mary said.

" _You think they'd be jealous_?" Castle said.

" _You don't think so_?" Mary said.

" _We're both thinking that they might be ecstatic we're going_ ," Beckett said slowly as she and her husband were looking at each other.

" _We'll split up_ ," Skye said. " _I'm keen to walk around with just_ Mary."

" _Your girls are okay with your going_ ," Castle said simply.

" _They'd likely push us out the door_ ," Mary said in amusement. " _Been a while since we've gone out on our own_."

" _And your dad_?" Castle asked.

" _He's coming back tomorrow night; he'll be there in the morning_ ," Skye replied. " _And I forgot to say we'll take our car, right_?"

" _We are leaving from_ San Diego _so that would be helpful_ ," Beckett said with a smile. " _That'll be interesting_."

" _Too bad you couldn't fly our plane_ ," Castle commented.

" _You'll be in good hands_ ," Skye replied.

" _We've never flown_ Southwest," Beckett said.

" _It's gotten better_ ," Skye said with a smile. " _And I got you probably the best pilot they have_."

" _Is that why you said_ Southwest?" Castle inquired.

" _It is_ , Wes Santos _is a friend_ ," Skye said. " _He'll make sure to take care of you and everyone else on the flight_."

" _Can you go up with us to the gate_?" Beckett asked her.

" _I could but we're going to head back home to our girls before our next trip_ ," Skye said before smiling at them. At that point, they were finished and once the tables were cleared she said to the two in English, "Time to mingle?"

"And sign, you guys can go around, we'll see you at dessert?" Castle asked while they were standing to make their way to the courtyard.

"See you," Mary said before they went over to get some drinks that were being served.

"Let's go," Castle said to his wife with a heavy sigh before he took her hand and they turned their attention to the guests, some with books.

The two spent some time, nearly an hour, walking around when they could though they were largely stopped by the guests. When they had the chance to go down to the garden just before dessert was served they took it, trying not to rush down there.

"I'm so glad we could do this," Castle said, looking at her as they leaned against the railing of a bridge opposite the waterfall.

"So am I," Beckett said. "These are exhausting," she said with a sigh.

"Your face hurts from smiling?" Castle asked as he looked at her.

"Slightly," Beckett said with a smile at him. "But really just the small talk and… just that. It's too much."

"We were too… eager last night," Castle said with a smile himself.

"Yeah," Beckett said simply. When he kissed her temple, she smiled before she turned her head and she shared one with him until they slowly parted. "We were going to look at the view?" she then asked him.

"Oh yeah, let's hurry," Castle replied, pulling her with him down the path again. When they reached it, he stood at the very edge of the road with her looking out on the lights spread out below them. "Beautiful," he said.

"It is," Beckett said with a smile of agreement. "Look at the buildings out there."

"You know," Castle said, becoming thoughtful. "We're from the city, why is this so fascinating?"

"We don't have this kind of view," Beckett said, smiling at his thinking.

"Not this spread out," Castle said. When she nodded he couldn't help himself, leaning over and kissing her deeply. He tried to linger but they weren't standing in the most comfortable way for that so he pulled away. "I really wish we could…" he began.

"I know," Beckett replied. She was looking at him when she suddenly realized something was moving to her right. Looking back ahead of them she was stunned to see that there was a flame, flickering up into the sky ahead of them. "Rick-" she began when she realized the color of the flame looked familiar.

"Hey!" Castle yelled when he spotted someone underneath a tree.

The figure; in shadow; whipped their heads to them before the tree they were next to burst into flame and they took off, Castle and Beckett vaulting over the edge of the road to make their way down the hill after them.


	24. Between Chaos And Creation

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: The lyrics in this chapter are from the song _Winedark Open Sea_ by Paul McCartney, from his album _Off the Ground_.

A/N #2: I was happy to get the feedback I did for the last chapter so will get right to my thank yous for that! TORONTOSUN (Glad that you thought there were great moments in the chapter for everyone, wanted it to go around to different people. And nice to see you liked how they shared memories with each other since I really liked writing that),  
MsNYC (Wasn't surprised to see your reaction to this cliffhanger either. Or that you're hoping Castle and Beckett will catch the culprit as you said. I was glad to see you still get a kick out of their morning after, lol, with Castle sending Beckett to the closet, was afraid people might be tired of that moment so I'm glad I'm wrong about that. And I'm very happy that you think Skye and Mary are too cute, also found it interesting you thought they're like Castle and Beckett but nice to see since that's not a bad thing of course. Also pleased to see you thought it was great writing as usual!) and  
vetgirlmx (I'm not surprised you caught where the story started so yeah, we're back to that. And yeah, not surprised you mentioned that while the pieces fit it's hard to doubt all four of them having doubts about the case, and yeah, not like they wanted the case not to be over as you said. And really pleased you enjoyed the story about why Skye reacted to the fire, I've heard a lot about survivors of plane crashes talking about things like that affecting them well after so I figured it'd work for Skye. Actually it came to me all of a sudden about the idea of Beckett taking pictures for their book covers myself so I added that well after I had written about them writing books. And not surprised you mentioned the fire attracting publicity and that you're hoping that they'll catch the guy while they're there. Also, I'm really pleased you're eager to see if that'll happen and now you don't need to wait anymore for that!).  
Thanks so much for the reviews, I loved reading them and am grateful for the time taken to write them out and send them to me!

A/N #3: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song _Fine Line_ by Paul McCartney, from his album _Chaos and Creation in the Backyard_.

Between Chaos And Creation

 _The scent of smoke was heavy in her nose and Julia wondered why exactly she was running through the woods near the stables. But she soon saw someone in front of her and she started to run towards them. "Wait!" she called when she realized that every time she was getting closer the two were moving further ahead._

 _After trying to catch up for the third time she stopped and breathing heavily she leaned over to rest her hands on her knees. When Julia looked up slowly she was startled to see her parents standing in front of her. "Mommy? Daddy?" she whispered as they were watching her. She took a step towards them and was driven back by a sudden explosion of fire that made her scream._

"Julia! Julia what's wrong?" Mari asked in concern as she was awakened suddenly by her friend screaming.

Looking around her Julia wondered when she'd sat up and said, "I… there was a fire…"

"You had a nightmare," Mari replied, hugging her tightly. "You're okay." She was startled when her friend started to cough and she pulled back, looking at her worriedly.

"It wasn't a nightmare," Julia said when she'd calmed down before she heard someone running across the hall.

"Julia," Alexis said, her concern after hearing her sister scream making her use her name. "Are you okay?"

"I had a nightmare," Julia answered quickly, wrapping her arms around herself as she'd begun to shiver. When Mari wrapped her arms around her again she said, "I was running inside the woods by the stables and they were all on fire around me. And then I saw someone ahead of me but I couldn't catch up to them so I stopped. And then I looked up and it was Mommy and Daddy."

"It was just a nightmare," Alexis said, sitting on the edge of the bed as she noticed Louis coming over to them.

"But then when I started to walk over to them… something exploded," Julia finished as if she hadn't heard what her big sister had said, still looking troubled.

"Is that when you woke up?" Mari asked.

"Yeah… my arm hurt," Julia said, looking at her left one. "I think that was Daddy. Mommy's okay but there was so much smoke…"

Alexis was more than a little concerned and she looked up at her boyfriend before she whispered to him, "Check on Lizzy and Dani for me."

Nodding Louis was disconcerted seeing the evidence of what Alexis had told him right in front of him since she had felt the need to let him know about the girl's bond with her mother. But hearing her talk about her arm he realized that it was both her parents and he had to ignore the implications of that before he made his way to the other bedroom to check on the girls there.

"Something happened to them 'lexis," Julia said. She then shook her head and said, "I don't think that the case is over yet."

"I can try to call them," Alexis replied, her heart breaking at how troubled her little sister obviously was.

"They won't answer," Julia said absently, watching her sister dialing on her phone. "They're… they're okay now," she then breathed out heavily.

"How do you know?" Mari couldn't help asking.

"I just know," Julia replied, smiling at her. "They're okay but I know Mommy's worried." She gasped and then said, "Maybe it's Skye and Mary, they were gonna go too."

"I'll still try," Alexis said, pressing the button that would dial. She placed the phone up to her ear, waiting and hoping that her father would answer. Though as the phone kept ringing her heart sunk until abruptly it stopped.

"Alexis?" Castle said on the other end, sounding concerned.

"Dad?" the young woman said in relief.

* * *

"Well they have to be down here," Skye was saying to her wife as they made their way hand in hand through the garden. "We couldn't find them in that courtyard."

"Or the terrace but I have to wonder if they were able to get away from everyone," Mary replied. "Oh, the road, I bet they're by the road."

With a nod Skye then walked with her over to the winding path that led more directly to the road they were on earlier. "Huh… could've been sure they would be here," she said when she looked up and down it and saw that it was empty. She looked back to the garden and museum and said, "Anywhere they could go that would be a good place to hide too?"

"I don't think so," Mary said.

Turning around as she heard the crackle of a fire; a large fire she soon realized; Skye took a few steps to the edge of the road and came to an immediate halt when she saw the flames in three of the trees closest to them. "Oh god, I know where they are," she told her wife before she ran down the hill.

"Skye!" Mary cried out. She started to go after her but when she saw the steepness of the incline she knew she'd risk injury as she wasn't dressed to go after Skye. Looking around she hoped her wife would find the couple to return as she herself hurried to find someone to tell about the fire as already it was getting hotter and climbing higher.

* * *

Going around a tree Castle and Beckett stopped to make sure they could see the man that had appeared in front of them at the top.

"Can you see who it is?" Castle asked his wife, slightly breathless.

"No, what do we do-" Beckett started to say when suddenly, a tree near them burst into flames. "The wind!" she yelled before they were forced to run back up the hill as the fire spread. When they were in a spot that wasn't on fire she then saw the man was setting more fires, throwing something.

"The lures," Castle said as he was watching too. "He's got them and he made them into matches."

"Here," Beckett said, having then been looking for a way down the hill. She took his hand and they ran together before they had to jump away from yet another tree, both yelling in shock as the fire was rough above them.

"Should we split up?" Castle yelled to his wife.

"I don't-" Beckett began to say before they were fleeing a branch of the tree that was falling to them. She wasn't sure how it had happened but when she stopped and took stock of where she was she realized that her husband was gone. "Rick?" she called, trying not to yell too loudly and get the killer's attention. "Rick?" she said again when she heard thudding footsteps on the ground. When she could discern that they were lighter than her husband's footsteps she reached down for a branch and held it up, ready to hit whoever it was who wasn't someone she knew.

"Kate!" Skye said when she saw her friend. She suddenly stumbled and groaned heavily as she rolled down until she hit a tree trunk. Looking up at it she thought for a moment that a star was falling and she screamed when the tree lit up a second later.

Beckett, acting purely on instinct, grabbed her friend's arm and hauled her away from the tree. When they were both standing she had to pat the embers on the sleeve of Skye's jacket using her own jacket and said, "Okay?"

"No… this is Jet A… I think I've smelled this the whole way down so… they soaked the trees," Skye said in obvious concern. "Rick?"

"I don't know, we got separated," Beckett said, becoming anxious herself as she recalled her husband. She looked around and said, "We had to split up because of a tree catching on fire too." She turned to the investigator and told her, "He's using the lures."

"Cameron had twenty," Skye said. "So… oh god he's still got at least ten."

"And there's one," Beckett said as they spotted something flying through the air to where they were standing. Together they ran to where they had a free space to run down and kept doing so as the killer seemed to be lobbing the lures after them. They were able to snake around the fire that was spreading at the same time it was being set and once they'd stopped she realized they were getting to a fence. "There he is!" she yelled.

"I've got him," Skye said, seeing him turning to them. But just as she was close enough to see his face he was suddenly setting the ground on fire and it seemed to explode, throwing her and Beckett away from each other as they were trying to get out of the way at the same time. She recovered first and looked around for her friend, panicking for a moment when all she saw was smoke before she pushed herself up and began to run once more to look for her.

After coming to her feet Beckett was slightly disoriented but managed to fix that when she looked up. She saw someone running in the distance and began to make her way around the burning trees to get closer to them. She realized they were tall and though she knew it might be her husband she still picked up a branch she was passing, just in case it was the killer who'd been almost as tall as he was.

"Kate!" Castle called out as they reached each other. He embraced her but couldn't really do that for too long before he looked around them saying, "This is bad, we have to get back up."

"I don't think we can," Beckett replied, looking up the hill. She suddenly recalled and said, "Skye was with me and we got separated. We need to find her."

Turning around to get a full view of what they were up against Castle said slowly, "I think we need to split up again."

"Wait," Beckett said suddenly as she heard a helicopter. "It's the police."

"How can you know that?" Castle asked, looking at her in shock when it got closer and he saw that she was right.

"She's running around there on her own with the killer coming after her," Beckett said slowly.

"Okay, then go that way and I'll go this way," Castle told her.

"No, together, come on," Beckett replied. She then ran in the direction where she thought the investigator might have gone that they could access. She heard Castle behind her and after going around some trees that weren't on fire she suddenly saw someone running ahead of them. "Skye!" she called as she could tell it was the investigator by the way she ran.

"Oh god, I was worried about you, and you too Rick," Skye said when they'd all grouped together holding onto their arms as they held hers. "Did you see him at all?"

"I didn't," Castle said first.

"No," Beckett replied.

"Another helicopter?" Castle said in confusion as they heard a second joining the first.

"That's…" Skye started to say, listening to the propellers. "We have to go, they're going to drop water, go up to the top of the hill!"

The three instantly began to run, trying to make their way around the blazing fire to reach the sanctuary of the museum. They couldn't get close enough though, as very shortly after they'd started to move the water was falling on them. It washed them down the hill with the incline and when everything stopped there was some quiet; as part of the fire was out with that, some crackling of burning wood, as some trees and brush were still on fire; and then there came the sound of coughing.

Alone Skye wanted to yell for Castle and Beckett because she wasn't too eager to run around yet again with the fire going on. Standing she then saw a shadow against the fire in the distance and she ran, trying not to fall as the ground was becoming mud.

When he'd recovered from the shock of the water overwhelming him Castle looked around and was just about to call his wife's name when he saw her. "Kate," he said in absolute concern as she wasn't moving. When he touched her shoulder, he saw she was conscious but as she turned over she was groaning. "Is something broken?" he asked, thinking her back might have been.

"No, I just… feel dizzy," Beckett whispered as she was able to focus up at him.

"Then stay still, you don't need to move," Castle replied, sitting next to her and not caring about the mud. He held her hand and was relieved when she squeezed it tightly, knowing if she hadn't been able to do that he would need to be worried. But as he watched her she seemed to recover quickly and he said, "Let's go; if they dropped water once they'll do it again and I don't want to see you hurt."

"And I don't want to see that happen to you either," Beckett replied as she stood with his help. She was slightly wobbly but she soon felt steady and she walked with him, not arguing his holding on to her. "Wait," she said when she suddenly could hear someone running up to them.

Before Castle or Beckett could prepare themselves the killer was sprinting past them and they both called out, "Hey!" before they ran. They were reaching a fence and they saw that the man was leaping up to the fence before they followed, Castle managing to grab him first.

Grabbing onto the man's ankle Castle was just able to pull the man down before he saw the flash of a knife. He was thrown off balance when he tried to get out of the way and fell to the mud, turning in time to see the killer about to shoot him with the gun suddenly in his other hand.

The finger moving to the trigger the killer was going to shoot when abruptly there was a howl of pain, the handle of another knife appearing in the man's back. He staggered away but didn't get far before he was getting to his knees, breathing roughly and then yelling in pain.

"Are you okay?" Beckett asked, having been unable to do anything to help her husband when the gun had appeared as the mud had slowed her down.

"Yeah. Nice throw," Castle said after he'd stood, directing the last to Skye who walked up to them. "Didn't know you had one of those."

"Remember that woman who threw her knife outside the equestrian center?" Skye replied as she made her way down to them. She didn't wait for them to answer before she said, "I figured it'd be helpful to learn that," as she reached the man who'd stopped making noise but was breathing hard and said simply, "Hello again Mr. Tyler," as Mrs. Scott's cousin looked at her over his uninjured shoulder and shot her a murderous look.

* * *

Trying not to pace, though she couldn't stop herself, Mary stopped when she saw some people coming up to the top of the hill that didn't look like they were part of the fire department or police who'd gone down. A second later she was crying out, "Rose!"

Looking up Skye watched her wife rush to her and she wrapped her arm around her, holding her tightly to her for a moment. "Are you alright _grá_?" she asked, pulling away so she could look at her.

"Am I, what's wrong with your arm?" Mary asked.

"We need to keep going," Castle said when he and Beckett were ushered away from the hill by one of the police officers there.

"Wait, Tyler-" Skye began to say.

"Skye!" a voice called from the side of the road.

"Hey Corey," Skye said as she turned to look at him. "There's your killer."

Looking past her Burke breathed out and said, "Tyler?"

"Tyler, he's alright though I had to bury that knife into his back," Skye said as the firefighters were coming up with Tyler on a back board though he was lying on his stomach. They'd left the knife she'd thrown and she watched him yelling at the police who placed the handcuffs on him. "He's not talking, at least not to us."

"He tried to stab me and then shoot me," Castle said quickly when the detective looked over and him and his wife.

"That was when she threw the knife," Beckett said. "He was just about to shoot my husband."

"I know," Burke replied.

"We know," Fernandez added as she walked up to them. She wasn't surprised at some slightly confused expressions and explained, "They saw you in the helicopter."

"Isn't it a little too dark?" Castle said.

"They had the light on us," Beckett said, looking at him.

"Shock, you must not have realized," Skye said, nodding as Castle looked at her. "Can we head up a little more? The smoke is really bothering me."

"Go ahead but I need to debrief you," Corey replied.

"Hold on, they need to look at your arm," Mary told her wife, pointing to one of the ambulances that were parked on the road.

Walking after the couple Castle looked at his wife and said, "Anything hurting?"

"No, just some scrapes and bruises. Let me see your arm," Beckett told him.

A little startled that she had seen what was wrong with him though he had been trying to hide it from her, he raised his left and said, "It's not that bad; not as bad as Skye's."

"But you're still burned," Beckett said with a sigh as she saw his arm where his shirt was torn away from the burn marks on him. "Guys," she then called ahead to Skye and Mary. "He's hurt too."

"Burns?" the investigator asked.

"Not that much," Castle replied, showing that to them as they were close enough to see.

"Still I would get that checked out," Mary told him. "After Skye."

"Someone else can help him," Beckett said simply before they came up to the ambulance. Luckily both her husband and Skye were able to be worked on together in the back of one ambulance and she stood with Mary at the end of it.

"I suppose," Skye began, slightly pale as her three-inch-long burn near her wrist was being cleaned and then treated. "It was about time for our visit involving a case to end with some of us watching the others from the back of one of these."

"That seems to happen a lot," Castle said in agreement. He looked outside though he couldn't see very far past the two women. "Think he'll talk?"

"He will to me," Skye said easily. "Actually," she said, studying first Castle and then Beckett. "Us."

"So, you're thinking this goes back to the flight," Beckett said, watching the investigator closely after she'd said that.

With a nod Skye said hesitantly, "I'm not exactly that certain now. I mean, the flight is part of it but I don't think it's the whole picture."

When her husband was released Beckett let him take her hand when he stepped down from the ambulance, the squeeze to her letting her know that he was alright. She then heard Skye getting up after the paramedic had spoken to her and she said, "You don't want to rest?"

"No time," Skye said easily, jumping down. "I-" she started to say before she was cut off by the sound of a phone ringing.

"That's me," Castle said, reaching into his pocket. "It's Alexis," he said to his wife when he saw who was calling.

"Julia," Beckett breathed when she realized their oldest might have been aware that something had happened.

"She should be asleep," Castle said before he answered the phone, knowing already she likely wasn't. "Alexis?" he asked when she sounded surprised he'd answered. He hurriedly placed the phone on speaker and said, "Is your sister up?"

"Yeah Julia had a nightmare," Alexis replied. "And-"

"Is she with you?" Beckett asked immediately.

"I'm here Mommy, are you okay?" Julia asked, sounding relieved hearing her voice.

"I am," Beckett said reassuringly. "What about you and your nightmare?"

Julia told it to them, everything that had happened to her in it, before she said, "And then when I woke up I knew that you were hurt Daddy."

"Were you?" Alexis asked.

"Some burns but they're minor," Castle replied. "I just have to keep them clean and dry and I'll be fine."

"No more swimming?" Julia asked seriously, relived that he sounded okay.

"I can but like I said, I need to keep it dry," Castle assured her. "Your sister isn't awake, is she?" he asked both girls.

Looking over at Louis who walked inside then Alexis saw his nod and said quickly to her father, "She's still asleep. Are you okay Kate?"

"I am," Beckett said, knowing in her mind that Julia was looking at her big sister in relief for asking that. "Just some cuts and bruises."

"What about Skye and Mary?" Julia asked, suddenly thinking about the two and remembering the twins.

"I'm alright," Skye said first as Castle and Beckett looked at her. "A bit of a burn on my arm too… looks like we're twinsies," she said to Castle jokingly since his burns were on the same side. "And some cuts, I think we all got those," she finished with. "Mary is just fine; she wasn't with us when we were running around."

Hearing her stepdaughter make a frustrated sound Beckett asked, "What's wrong?"

"We didn't ask what happened exactly," Alexis replied since her little sister had whispered it to her after tugging her sleeve.

"Well…" Castle said first before he looked at his wife.

"We're still at the Getty," Beckett began. "And someone set a fire on the side of the hill below it." She glanced at her husband when their oldest gasped and she then said, "We got him though and he's under arrest."

"So your case is over?" Julia asked hopefully.

"It's over," Beckett said firmly. "And we won't be working on it anymore, you don't need to worry about us."

"I won't," Julia murmured. She then said, "What will you do now?"

"Get some rest before we go to San Diego," Castle said first. "We'll talk to you tomorrow we promise."

"You'll be able to go to sleep now sweetie," Beckett said before the girl could protest.

"Okay but you promise you will call tomorrow," Julia replied.

"We will," Beckett assured her. "Goodnight Julia, I love you."

"I love you too Mommy, get some rest, please," Julia begged.

"I will," Beckett replied easily.

"I love you too Julia," Castle then said. "And your mom's right, get some rest yourself."

"Love you Daddy, I will," Julia said quickly.

"We love you too Alexis," Beckett then said to the young woman. "Don't tell Eliza about this, just say that we're alright and the case is over."

"Okay, I love you both too," Alexis replied. "And I'm relieved that you're okay. All of you."

After Skye and Mary had thanked the young woman about that they then said goodbye to the girls and hanging up her phone Beckett asked, "Are we all going to Tyler now?"

"We should, unless Corey and Fernandez are getting him to talk," Skye began. "Then we should just go home because I'm eager to follow your daughter's advice to rest."

"I'm hoping they're getting him to," Castle couldn't help saying.

"Do you two need any oxygen?" Mary asked.

"I'm alright," Castle replied, surprised.

"I think the smoke was heading up," Mary replied. When she saw they were looking at her she shrugged and told them, "I could see at the top of the hill there. You?"

Since her wife was asking her that Skye said she was alright when they reached the other ambulance where Taylor was. "Corey," she called to her friend, seeing him and Fernandez there.

"They're going to take him," Burke said when he and his partner got out of the car. "But he's not talking."

"Let me start with him," Skye commented.

"You really think he'd talk to you?" Fernandez said.

"No clue," Skye said quickly, shaking her head. "But I have to try." She wasn't surprised when the two got out of her way and then said to Castle and Beckett, "Better wait to see how he reacts."

"We'll be close enough in case he decides to talk," Beckett told her.

With a nod Skye then climbed into the back of the ambulance and said, "Mr. Tyler."

"You've got a hell of a throw," the man grunted out to her, sitting up at that moment.

"So, you know who I am exactly," Skye replied.

"Them too," Tyler replied, nodding to the outside. "You were all on the same flight Pablo was."

"Feel up to talking at all?" Beckett asked, climbing into the vehicle as Skye tapped her finger noiselessly next to her.

"I… guess," Tyler said. "Look, I was hired-"

"I don't think that'll work," Beckett said.

"Really don't think it will," Castle said. "Since we know you hired Cameron as a cover." He wasn't surprised when Mary looked at him since they had no idea if that was true but he knew that it was likely going to be found out.

Clenching his teeth obviously Tyler said, "Since you figured things out why do you need to talk to me?"

"Because we didn't figure out everything," Skye said simply. "Why did you kill your cousin?"

"He wasn't my cousin," Tyler spat out. "He stopped being my cousin when he didn't let me join."

"Join what," Skye said calmly.

"The club," Tyler replied. "Your club; I wasn't allowed just because I wasn't on that flight. But your wife was there at that party."

"I'm not part of the club, we spouses could go but we weren't in that club picture and I don't really exchange e-mails with the people who were on the flight," Mary said.

"There wasn't anything to the club," Beckett then said. "You weren't missing anything by not being in it."

When Tyler waved his hand Castle suddenly thought of something and said, "Were you close with your cousin? Wendy?"

"We were like brother and sister, we were raised together," Tyler replied.

"Were you jealous of Pablo," Skye stated.

"I didn't want my cousin," Tyler said, a disgusted look on his face. "I saw her less though, with her husband. Even less after that flight and I thought… the club. That had to be it."

"That club," Mary began. "Was founded five years ago; why now?"

"You," Tyler said, looking at Castle and Beckett.

"Us?" the two said at the same time, sharing a look with each other.

"I knew that if I got your attention you'd let me join the club," Tyler said. "But it had to be big. I gave you Cameron but you didn't…"

"That's why you set the fire," Beckett said in sudden understanding. "To punish the three of us now."

"No, just you," Tyler said, looking again at Castle and Beckett. "I would never hurt you," he then directed to Skye.

"Okay," the investigator said with a nod of her head. She wasn't surprised when Castle looked at her in surprise before she said, "Then tell me how you did all of this?"

And with that Tyler began with needing to shoot his cousin as he'd discovered his plan to kill a few of the Southern California survivors. He had to change those plans when the survivors on his list were moved to the safe house and had used a police officer costume to lure out Phillips before he'd gotten Cameron to get rid of Mulligan.

"That was so easy," Tyler said, laughing slightly. He tilted his head back and looked up at the ceiling and said, "He was so focused on his finances. It's why he did what I asked."

"How did he die?" Beckett asked after she and Skye watched the man for a moment.

"We met upstairs where he was going to kill her, we worked together to set the fire and shoot her though that's what I told him. First the fire, then her and then… him," Tyler replied. "I was surprised my feint worked as well as it did."

"And you messed it up," Skye couldn't help saying.

"She's right, you did," Castle said. "If you hadn't tried to kill us then we wouldn't have found you."

Waving his hand that he could move Tyler said, "I'm done talking."

"Of course," Skye said before she and Beckett left without another word. She went to Burke and Fernandez who were near them and said, "I'm hoping you got that."

"Is it admissible?" Beckett said suddenly.

"We mentioned you and he jumped at the chance to talk to you," Fernandez said. "Even after we told him that you three weren't cops."

"How much of that did you record?" Castle asked.

"From that point; we know what we need to do," Burke said. He sighed before he looked at his friend and said seriously, "I should apologize about pushing Cameron."

"I don't blame you," Skye said reassuringly.

"He looked really good for it," Beckett commented.

"Do you need us anymore?" Mary said, looking closely at her wife.

"We just need one thing," Burke said.

"Alright, let's get these statements out and then go home," Skye said, waving her hands in the air in a mock annoyed gesture before she turned her attention to the detectives with Castle and Beckett flanking her before they began.

* * *

"I'm really not sure about this Rick," Beckett said to her husband as he opened the door of the guesthouse. "You just got this cleaned up."

"Skye gave you the ointment," Castle said. "And I have a clean towel all ready to go," he added, showing it to her on top of his beach towel.

"Alright…" Beckett began to say before she trailed off as they neared the pool. "Is that Skye?"

"You don't recognize her voice?" Castle asked in slight amusement.

Beckett gave him a look before she turned her attention to the pool where they were stepping in, listening to Skye singing a few lyrics before she noticed them.

 _Open up your heart  
If you want to set me free  
Full of love, your love  
Sailing on a winedark open sea  
Sailing on a winedark open sea_

"Hullo," Skye said, looking at them in surprise. "Was alone by myself and decided I should get a little practice in."

"For what?" Beckett asked as she set her towel on a chair and walked over to the Jacuzzi where Skye was sitting, her feet in the water.

"Tomorrow night, Wendy asked us to perform," the investigator replied with a brief smile. "All of his favorites and I just heard back from the band; they're eager for it since they had met Pablo at one of the parties we'd all attended."

"Is that song one of them?" Castle asked with some interest.

"No, just for practice," Skye said, shaking her head. "You'll hear the ones tomorrow of course."

"Of course," Castle said. He glanced at his wife and said, "What is it?"

"Sing the rest," Beckett said before she smiled at her friend.


	25. Between Chaos And Creation (Part 2)

"I'll agree with that," Mary said, walking in through the open gate. "Go on _grá_ ; from the top since I missed it."

Skye bit at her lower lip for a moment until her wife was sitting next to her and after Mary had kissed her cheek she said, "Alright." She started from the top as her wife had asked and then continued from there, holding her wife's hand tightly until she had finished.

 _Lighten up, my heart  
Leave it till the evening breeze  
Give me love, your love  
Sailing on a winedark open sea  
Sailing on a winedark open sea_

 _Oh my I feel love for you  
Spreading through my body  
I remember how  
We can be so loving  
I feel love for you now  
I feel love for you right now_

 _Loosen up my heart  
Let me have some time to be  
With a love, my love  
Sailing on a winedark open sea  
Sailing on a winedark open sea_

 _Oh my I feel love for you  
Spreading through my body  
I remember how  
We can be so loving  
I feel love for you now  
I feel love for you right now_

 _Sailing on a winedark open sea  
Sailing on a winedark open sea_

 _Oh, I feel love for you  
I feel love for you right now  
I feel love for you  
I feel love for you right now  
We're sailing on a winedark open sea  
Sailing on a winedark open sea_

"You know," Skye said when the last of her singing echoed to the sky above them. "J-Julia should use that for a waltz she said she had."

Though he wanted to instantly protest that Castle held back at the sight of the tears on the investigator's cheeks. When she'd seemed to calm down with Mary's help he said, "Don't you think the lyrics are a little… adult?"

"I would point out the music is what makes the song," Skye said simply. She sniffed and then said, "You know I was looking up and thinking I am lucky."

"In what way?" Beckett asked, looking at the woman though her head was actually turned up to the sky at that moment.

"That you two made it back here with us," Skye replied, turning her head to look back down at her.

"We have many reasons to return," Beckett said with a smile. "And we'll suggest the song to Julia. But I wish…"

"Wish?" Skye asked a bit uncertainly as her friend was looking at her.

"You could sing at the competition," Beckett said. "Julia would love that."

With a smile Skye said, "That would be difficult, I'd be in front of too many people to manage."

"But if she asked would you do that?" Castle asked.

"I might," Skye said after hesitating for a moment.

"Oh," Mary said after they were quiet for a moment. "Did you tell her about tomorrow _grá_?"

"No, it slipped my mind," Skye replied. "Tomorrow the band's coming over around lunch, we're going to rehearse, have our meal… bore you to death."

"No you won't," Castle and Beckett said at the same time.

"It sounds nice; you might want to include swimming in there," Castle then said.

"We were thinking about that," Skye said with a smile.

"So you'll join us?" Mary asked.

"And film us?" Skye added, still smiling.

"I will," Beckett said since the investigator was talking to her. She then was about to speak when she hesitated, only continuing when Skye urged her to saying, "The fire."

"Yes, I'll be having nightmares," Skye replied with a heavy sigh. She then said, "You saw what I meant though."

"I did," Castle said quickly. "I was laying there after the water got dropped on us and saw what you meant in the flames that were left. It's… disturbing."

Turning her head to study him Beckett saw that she wasn't imagining the slight tremor in his voice and she reached over to his hand, squeezing it tightly. "Are we just going to sit outside?"

"We will," Mary said first. "Unless you hold your arm up walking around _grá_ ; you're staying out."

"I said I was okay with that," Skye replied, rolling her eyes before she then smiled a little. "I was thinking about practicing tomorrow."

"The songs? How will you do that?" Mary asked.

"The random generator?" Castle guessed.

"No, been a while since we looked at John's and Ringo's songs so I think we should start with them quickly before we head on to Paul and George," Skye answered.

"Does he have any favorites of them?" Beckett asked.

"Two of Ringo's, one of John's but again we'll tell you tomorrow," Skye said.

"I'm going to make a guess and say John's is _Woman_ ," Castle said.

"No," Skye said. She smiled when he looked startled and said, "You'll know tomorrow, I promise you."

"Skye-" Mary said in concern when her wife moved.

"I'll sit like this, I promise," the investigator replied, laying her arm on the outside of the pool.

Sighing Mary followed her before Castle and Beckett did the same, the former placing his arm outside as well before they took some time to relax in silence before the investigator was speaking again.

"That song seemed best for the moment," Skye said.

"No, it was good," Castle said first. "It seemed to fit tonight… well this moment."

When they were quiet again Mary said, "It seems so pointless."

"You get that most of the time with murder investigations," Beckett replied, not surprised the woman thought that.

"I don't know why I don't realize that for a while," Mary replied. She sighed and said, "I guess because I haven't come up against this as much as you have."

"Unfortunately, you get used to that word applying to these cases," Castle said. "Think they might try for insanity?" he directed to his wife.

"They might but it'd be difficult to prove," Beckett said. She saw that Skye was looking at her then and said, "He was lucid when we talked to him."

"That's true," Skye said.

"Also, you're forgetting the two of us," Mary said. When Castle looked to her then and said, "We both have a PhD in psychology remember."

"And you didn't notice anything?" Beckett asked, wondering why she'd forgotten that as well.

"Narcissism," Mary said first.

"She's right," Skye replied to the looks she got after that. "The fact that he wanted to join points to that. He would have been the only member not part of the flight which would have brought attention to him."

"Plus, it would have brought him attention from his cousin," Mary added. "Which is what he seems to have wanted in the end."

"I really hope he was telling us the truth about not being interested romantically in his cousin," Castle replied.

"I don't think so, if they were close enough to be brother and sister then I think it's more that," Mary told him. "And with growing up, marriage and another man that takes her away from their sibling relationship he became jealous."

"That was likely building up," Skye commented. "But this is it for the case."

"It is," Beckett said with a nod, smiling at her. "Let's hope next time we're here we won't have a case."

"And vice versa," Skye commented. "The last time I was in the Hamptons we had a case too… though that was more I was asked to join in."

"You could have walked away," Castle couldn't help saying.

"Honestly, you think I could have just left it?" Skye asked.

"Have you ever walked away from an investigation?" Beckett then said after they were all quiet thinking that over.

"Never, how could I?" Skye said. "I know what these people can go through; I've experienced it in a way myself. So, though it's always difficult that first step onto the scene… I keep going."

"Any chance you can get more time off?" Mary then asked her wife.

With a sigh Skye looked at her arm and said, "I don't need to, I'm alright."

"Then we should get to bed, I'm worried about your lack of any coughing," Mary told her.

Though the investigator pretended to grumble at that she got out of the hot tub before the others were following, drying off before they parted, going to the separate homes after saying goodnight.

* * *

"I'm not really that surprised at you," Beckett said to her husband when she heard him walking over to her.

"Oh?" Castle asked with one eyebrow slightly raised.

"That song, you honestly think Julia would pay attention to it in regard to Peter?" Beckett replied. "She sees him as a brother you know."

"Yes, and after hearing Tyler talk that scares me now," Castle replied after thinking for a moment.

Rolling her eyes Beckett said, "We're not raising him."

"That would be the difference," Castle said, nodding his head. "So," he then began.

"Stay still," Beckett replied, shaking her head as she made him rest his arm on top of her legs. She began to rub the ointment they had for his burns, two short lines across his arm that were only half an inch, and asked, "Did you take the aspirin?"

"I did but it's not really too, too painful," Castle assured her since he knew that was her unasked question. He looked on as she worked and then said, "I might be out of commission tonight."

"I am too, my face still feels singed and I'm drained," Beckett said as she finished. She stood and then told him as he followed her, "That hill was better cardio than the gym at the station."

"I'll agree with that but not as much as polo," Castle replied.

Washing her hands Beckett smiled at him and said, "You'll play once we get home."

"I know we're getting there in time," Castle said as the season was starting at the beginning of October. "I still miss it and I feel out of shape." When his wife gave him a look while she washed her hands he asked, "What?"

"I want to remind you of what we did… against that wall… last night," Beckett said as they stepped out into the bedroom.

"That's because…" Castle began.

"You almost had that didn't you," Beckett said, unable to keep the laughter out of her voice at his frustrated expression as he tried to speak but couldn't.

"I was so close," Castle replied. He then reached out with his right hand and pulled her to him before he said, "If we had the energy-"

"Yes, we'd be doing that again," Beckett finished for him, interrupting him at the same time.

Castle moved then to kiss her when there was a knock on the door downstairs and they paused before he let her go to answer it.

"Hullo," Skye said when Beckett opened the door to her. "Sorry to intrude but… I was fancying a cuppa and thought you might want to share with me."

"Come in," Beckett replied. She wasn't surprised in the slightest to see the investigator was alone but didn't say anything as she and Castle sat at the table next to the kitchen while they watched her making a kettle of hot water.

"I don't know why," Skye finally said. "But I was thinking of the flight."

"I was too," Castle said, turning to his wife.

"Me too," Beckett said with a nod to him. "And I think that it's understandable."

"Well… I guess I know why I'm thinking about it," Skye replied as she took the kettle off the burner. After she had the herbs in she sat with them at the table and said, "That and my other flight."

Squeezing her friend's shoulder gently Beckett then said, "I don't blame you for it. Do you know who's going to manage to get here tomorrow?"

"So far just the rest that were in the safe house," Skye answered.

"We'll still be celebrating Pablo's memory," Castle said.

"That's true; also Harriet's and Obek's," Skye said with a slight smile. "I'd love to have another reunion of the club though; a full one I think it's past time for it."

"You're right," Beckett said. When the investigator looked at her at her tone she explained, "We can help if you need it at all."

"I'll take that into consideration," Skye said, pouring out the tea. "It's peppermint," she told the two as they were watching. "Will be good to get some sleep."

Hearing the cough the investigator gave then Castle said, "You're starting to do that too?"

"Yeah but I think we were lucky with smoke inhalation," Skye replied. "It's why I brought tea; it'll help."

"Did you…" Castle started to say before his wife squeezed his uninjured arm to get him to stop.

"I did occasionally after the first one," Skye said, knowing what he was going to ask. "But mind you I was only six years old; it was mainly chamomile." She then smiled nostalgically and said, "I was already on my way to drinking it since I grew up with my dad and father doing so. But then I'm also American so I drink coffee too… though Brits drink it of course."

"It's universal; both are," Castle commented before they were quiet as they took their first sips of the tea.

"I have to admit to you both I was more than a little startled hearing from Julia tonight," Skye eventually said as she set down her mug. "Has that ever happened before?"

"No, first time," Castle said.

"He's right but I think I might have figured out the reason why," Beckett said when the two looked at her. "The timing, she was asleep."

"You're right," Skye said after obviously thinking that over. "Which is troubling; from what she said about the dream it was fairly upsetting."

"I think it was more us being kept away from her," Castle said.

"That would do it," Skye replied, nodding her head. "I would hope she won't have any problems after tonight."

"She'll call us if she has another nightmare," Beckett said. "But I think she'll be alright. Especially now we're finished with the case."

"Wait," Castle said then. "What about her sensing what had happened to me?"

Skye glanced back and forth between the two before she then just pointed at Beckett.

"What does that mean exactly?" she asked, a little confused by the investigator's reply.

"You realize that you two have a connection too," Skye said to the couple simply.

"And that led to her sensing that," Castle said.

"It did, maybe because you were worried about him," Skye said, directing that to Beckett.

"How is that going to go when she gets older?" she couldn't help asking.

"I really don't know," Skye said honestly. "What I see as most likely happening is that connection lessening to what it was at the start."

"Why?" Castle asked in confusion after he and Beckett looked at each other.

"She might find someone she loves and will have a bond with," Skye replied. "But that's just a guess of course."

"There's a part of me that hopes that happens," Beckett said.

"Me too," Castle said with a nod.

Draining the last of her mug at that point Skye looked at her phone she'd brought with her and she said, "I need to head back."

"Did she give you a certain amount of time?" Castle asked.

"She did, she thought I might try to sleep over which is… weird," Skye replied.

"I'll take these," Castle said, stopping her from picking up the kettle and her mug.

"You should go, she might come down here to get you," Beckett said.

"Likely, goodnight then and thank you both for this," Skye said, seeming a little disconcerted. She looked up as Beckett embraced her and then hugged her back before saying, "Mary wants to take me to the Promenade and I insisted the two of you join us."

"Are you sure?" Beckett asked once they'd pulled apart.

"I am, unless you two want to spend the day together," Skye said, looking over at Castle.

"No, I'm fine with sticking around," he said quickly when his wife looked at him as well. "I really want to see you rehearse anyway, it was a lot of fun last night."

"Alright, we're going to the girls' friend's home in the morning to see them," Skye said.

"Why don't you just have them come with us," Castle commented.

"We wouldn't mind," Beckett said quickly. "They are your daughters and if we were in the Hamptons we'd be doing the same."

"I'll mention it to Mary," Skye said with a smile. "They may want to go to the same place we went to this morning."

"I don't mind," Castle and Beckett said at the same time.

"How's the walk to the Promenade?" Castle asked after he and his wife had looked at one another. "I know it's far I'm just wondering."

"About twenty minutes," Skye replied with a smile. "So, you'd be getting a workout I suppose."

"I think we'll drive," Beckett said. "We need to take back the rental anyway; since we'll have your car in San Diego."

"I'm eager for our road trip," the investigator replied with a smile. "Good night and see you in the morning."

"Goodnight," Castle and Beckett called out to the woman as she left.

"She'll be alright," Castle stated once the door was closed behind them.

"She will, Mary's likely waiting for her," Beckett said.

"You know why she came right?" Castle asked.

"It wasn't hard to tell," Beckett replied with a shrug. "We're all survivors along with her." She followed her husband over to the kitchen and then jumped up on the counter to sit next to the sink while he was cleaning the kettle and mugs. "I love how our plans to be tourists around here worked out."

"I think we were enough," Castle said, smiling up at her. When he'd finished and had dried his hands he helped her down and said, "I'm thinking about Julia now."

"So am I," Beckett replied. "But what could we do?"

"We'll be back home soon," Castle replied, not surprised to hear the frustration in her voice.

With a sigh Beckett was about to speak again before she heard her phone still upstairs beginning to ring and she rushed up with her husband to get it. "It's Patrick," she said in confusion before she looked at Castle.

"They heard about the fire," the two said at the same time.

"It's late for him," Beckett said before she then answered the phone, putting it to speaker. "Patrick?" she asked.

"Kate, oh thank god you're alright," Darnley said on the other end, obviously relieved. "You are right?"

"I am," Beckett told her friend. "You heard about what happened?"

"At the Getty? Yes of course it was on the news first thing," Darnley replied. "They got footage of you leaving with Skye and Mary from the parking structure. I was terrified since I saw your face was smudged from the fire."

"We were chasing the suspect," Castle began.

"Oh, hey Rick," Darnley said hearing his voice. "You're okay too?"

"I got a little burned on my arm but I'm fine," Castle answered, keeping his tone reassuring.

"You Kate?" Darnley then asked her.

"Just some scratches here and there," Beckett replied, holding up her hand to her husband before he could say anything. She then pulled him over to the window seat where they could sit during the rest of the conversation.

"No smoke inhalation?" Darnley asked. When the two said they were coughing some he asked, "What about Skye? And Mary too of course."

"Skye got some burns on her arm too," Castle said first.

"Mary stayed above the hill where the fire was," Beckett then finished. "They're both okay. I'm assuming you want to hear about what happened."

"I'd like to," Darnley replied. He then listened as the two told him about the case leading up to that night and he said, "So it looks like you solved this one fast."

"Not before two people got killed," Castle replied.

"I am sorry to hear that," Darnley said. "What about the others?"

"They were evacuated from the Getty when the fire started. We were the only ones injured; us and Tyler of course," Beckett answered.

"So… just for the club," Darnley said. He swore and said, "It's so great he waited for you two to start his plans. If he hadn't Skye would have had an uphill battle."

"Believe us we needed her and Mary too," Castle said.

"Okay, I need to go," Darnley said, the sound of a baby crying coming from the background. "I'll try and call you when you're back home."

"You can try before then," Beckett was quick to tell him.

"I'll let you go through San Diego without my interrupting you," Darnley said.

"Alright," Beckett said with a sigh though she was smiling at the same time. "Good night Patrick, give my love to Trevor and the kids."

"I will, give my love to yours," Darnley said. "Bye Rick, have fun with the rest of your trip."

After he'd said goodbye to the man Castle was about to speak when her phone began to ring again. "I was almost expecting Lanie," he said when he saw that it was Esposito.

"Maybe they're together," Beckett replied before she answered. "Javi?"

"Hey, just saw on the news that you two were in a fire?" Esposito asked on the other end.

Castle and Beckett looked at one another before they then told him about the case, leading up to the point when they'd left Tyler in the ambulance and it had driven off.

Whistling Esposito said, "So just for that?"

"Just for that," Castle said first.

"It was enough in his head," Beckett replied. "Actually everything."

"Are you two alright?" Esposito asked.

"Some cuts and burns but nothing serious," Beckett replied.

"Are you sure-" Esposito started to say.

"Yes, we're fine," Beckett interrupted him, reassuring him. "We're back at Skye's home now so we're being serious."

"I'm just checking, Lanie called me and asked me to talk to you," Esposito replied.

"Where is she?" Castle said. "I thought she would have called Kate by now."

"She's at a B&B up north with her boyfriend," Esposito replied. "They have one phone in the lobby and they left their phones in the city."

"Should they have done that?" Castle asked, looking at his wife.

"I told her the same thing and she hung up," Esposito said. "You can call the place, she gave me the number."

After Castle had set it down on his phone Beckett said goodbye with him to the detective before she dialed the number to the B&B. Once the person on the other end had answered she said to her husband, "I hope they're not asleep."

"Hopefully," Castle said with a nod before a moment later the doctor was answering.

"Hey Lanie," Beckett said to her.

"Oh good, Javi got to you," Lanie replied. "Are you okay?"

The conversation with her was much the same as it had been with Darnley and Esposito, even down to them reassuring Lanie that they had been relatively uninjured.

"Alright," the doctor finally said with a sigh when they'd told her about Castle's burns. "Just make sure to take care of that."

"I get the feeling that Kate will," Castle said with a smile as he glanced at her.

"I'll call you again Lanie," Beckett said since she knew it was late for her friend.

"After you're home," she replied.

"Okay," Beckett said after a moment's pause. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight you two," Lanie said. "Get some rest."

"We will, night Lanie," Castle said before the doctor hung up first. "Okay," he said with a sigh to his wife. "Ryan?"

"I think we should leave him alone, it's late and I'm not risking waking up the baby," Beckett answered.

For a moment Castle paused before he nodded and followed her to the bed, sitting down on it as she gestured to him to do so first. "I'm sure Javi will let him know we're okay. And that's alright," he said when she held his left arm so she could see it.

Nodding Beckett said, "It's Sunday tomorrow."

"We'll call her, I want to check on her and see Eliza too," Castle replied with a nod. "And once we're finished I think we should walk towards the Promenade."

Beckett shook her head and said, "Sometimes the fact you're spontaneous can get a little weird."

"You should be glad I do that sometimes," Castle said, affecting a serious mein. "If not, that would mean I'm a clone… or a robot, neither of them good."

Laughing slightly Beckett said, "I think I would have noticed."

With a brief nod Castle leaned over and cupped his wife's cheek before he leaned down and kissed her. He was careful at first before pulling away enough to be able to look into her eyes and he said, "Could we?"

"For a little," Beckett said with a smile though her heart was pounding furiously. She wasn't surprised when he grabbed her, pulling her onto his lap, before they were kissing. Though she had half expected he was going to be rough she was a little relieved when he was gentle. When they parted to breathe she murmured, "I wish…"

"I know, we missed one night," Castle said. He laughed when she playfully socked him on the shoulder and then told her, "It was necessary."

"And…" Beckett said as she slid her hand up to his shoulders to grasp his neck. "We can make up for it tomorrow."

"I'm… glad you think that," Castle said, shuddering heavily in pleasure as he could tell that she was serious.

"So are you," Beckett replied. She pressed her lips gently to his and told him, "I wonder if I can ask if we can do something tomorrow night?"

"You mentioned that earlier," Castle said, remembering that morning. He was slightly startled when she hesitated and then asked, "Am I going to regret it?"

"Shouldn't it be me that says that?" Beckett asked, looking at him in confusion. When he shrugged she tried not to laugh too hard before she said, "There's something I've wanted to try; to tell you the honest truth hearing about this from Skye and Mary made me think of it; could we try and…"

"Just say it," Castle said when she hesitated again.

"Try and pretend we've never been with another person," Beckett said, watching him.

"You know I've been tempted to try that out myself," Castle told her seriously. "Would you be able to?"

"It depends more on you," Beckett replied.

"I think so," Castle replied. "I think it'd be a lot better than my actual first time," he said. "No fumbling or horror."

"Horror?" Beckett asked, confused. They'd talked about their first times together but she'd never considered that word to describe his.

"Of the unknown and that I was going to hurt them," Castle replied. "But yeah, I think we should try it, it would change things up." He hesitated and then said, "For however long we'd stick to that."

"It doesn't need to be long," Beckett replied. She then cupped his cheek and leaned down to kiss him that time, making it deep immediately. She was concerned when he grabbed onto her tightly, for his arm, but a second later their tongues were tangling around each other frantically.

The two then became very involved then in each other and they had a hard time stopping as they couldn't stay away from each other for long. When they had finally parted and stayed that way Castle leaned down to his wife to kiss along her ear lobe before pulling back to speak.

"Should we get some sleep?" he asked her.

With a smile Beckett leaned over and then brushed her lips to his and said, "Do you want to stop?"

Castle shook his head and then leaned against her to kiss her again, deeply before they were a little out of control. He had no idea how long it took for them to calm down but finally they managed to and he sighed saying, "Now I'm feeling it."

With a nod Beckett followed him in laying down and soon after she was against his side, her cheek pressed to his shoulder. "I love you Rick," she said as she then entwined her fingers with his.

"Love you too Kate," Castle said, knowing she was checking on his left arm. He shared a kiss with her before they laid down again; that one much gentler. Stroking her shoulder and arm he said, "Night love."

"Goodnight love," Beckett replied, smiling. She closed her eyes, feeling the last of the stress from the case leaving her knowing that the next day they'd be free from the work. Trying to remember what they were going to do instead of investigating she fell asleep, knowing her husband was doing the same as they wanted to get back to their trip together.


	26. To The Sound, Blue Guitars

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: The song lyrics that are in this chapter are from the songs _Getting Closer_ by Paul McCartney, from the Wings album _Back to the Egg_ ; _You Better You Bet_ written by Pete Townshend, on The Who album _Face Dances_ ; _Tight A$_ by John Lennon, from his album _Mind Games_ ; _I'm Still Standing_ by Elton John, from his album _Too Low for Zero_ ; _You're My Best Friend_ written by John Deacon, from the Queen album _A Night at the Opera_ ; _Vanilla Sky_ by Paul McCartney, from the soundtrack to the movie of the same name; _Unconciousness Rules_ by George Harrison, from his album _Somewhere in England_ ; _Apple Scruff_ by George Harrison, from his album _All Things Must Pass_ ; _Back Off Boogaloo_ by Ringo Starr and _Tweeter and the Monkey Man_ by The Traveling Wilburys, from their album _The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1_.

A/N #2: I'd been wondering what reaction I would get for the last chapter so I was really happy to get the feedback I did for it, so on to my thank yous for that! vetgirlmx (I wasn't surprised to see your comments on how you believe the case is over, with what happened yeah it was the end I'll say since it's not a spoiler alert. And your reaction to the reason for the case was expected 'cause it was insane to have the motive be the club. But I've heard a lot of crazy motives myself so thought that one would work since jealousy in some form can be one. And yeah, dangerous adult throwing a toddler tantrum that describes it very well, I liked that. I was surprised you found Julia's experiences at the start of the chapter was a bit disturbing but I know with it being stronger like it was that would stand to reason. But also interesting you mentioned it was getting stronger with time. I wasn't surprised you mentioned Louis, but since that was his first time seeing that it would surprise him along with her parents and Skye too. With how personal the case was I figured it'd be emotionally drained so I wasn't surprised at all that you picked up on that. Also, not surprised you're hoping they'll feel better for the rest of the vacation and the book tour part of that as well. So great you loved that their friends were all really worried about that, and with that I did want to show that they were still really close so you caught that too. And it made me laugh a bit to see you mentioning what's coming up next, though I was very happy that you mentioned Paul with all of that. And of course, pleased to see you can't wait to read what's coming up the next day and are really eager too. And now you don't need to wait anymore for that!),  
MsNYC (It was great to see that you had the reaction you did to the last chapter, was hoping for something like that! And I'm not surprised that you didn't realize you were finished in the first half I had it ending a bit abruptly but that was also nice to hear since of course you liked it that much or as you said how good it was. I wasn't surprised either to see your reaction to Julia's experience at the start. But I got what you meant by it being hard to know that something's wrong but not knowing what; it's the fear of the unknown of course which was what I had in mind with that. And as for Louis' verbal reaction I don't know if I have anything for that at least not yet. Yeah Skye and Mary are alright, just shook up as you mentioned after everything that happened. I'm glad I could surprise you with Darnley, Esposito and Lanie getting in touch with them, also that you said it was welcomed too. And of course, pleased to see you thought it was great writing as usual!),  
TORONTOSUN (It's nice to read you like how concerned Julia gets when her parents are working on a case, I figure she would be of course so nice you mentioned that. And great too you also like when I bring in Esposito and Lanie, and that you think it enhances the story as well since I'm glad it does that!) and  
Guest (I was glad to see the last chapter got the response that you had. And great you thought it were action packed as I wanted it to be. You're very correct, waking up from a nightmare like that to find out that it was real in the end would be scary so that's why I had her having the reaction she did. And they'll Skype with her of course, don't worry!).  
Thanks so much for the reviews, loved reading all of them and am grateful for the time taken to write them out and send them to me!

A/N #3: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song _The Song We Were Singing_ by Paul McCartney, from his album _Flaming Pie_.

To The Sound, Blue Guitars

"Why did I suggest this again?" Castle asked, looking over at his wife.

"I really don't know," Beckett said simply. She smiled at him and told him, "You're the one who wanted to do this."

"I just wanted to get a look at everything," Castle replied.

"And we are," Beckett said with a smile. They soon reached the street where they were going to meet the McDouglases and she looked around before saying, "It is nice."

"You have to love the palm trees," Castle said before he glanced at his wife. "Okay?" he asked her.

"I think I'm still tired," Beckett said with a sigh. "I should get some tea."

"Speaking of breakfast," Castle said as they saw Skye's car pulling up. "Hey, good morning you two," he said when he saw the twins in the back seat.

"Hi, you're gonna sit with us," Marie said first.

"Sure," Castle replied before he got into the back.

"I'm up front with you guys?" Beckett said to Skye and Mary.

"Hop on in," the latter said, stepping out to get out of the way of her before she was stopped. "What?" Mary asked in surprise.

"I think you should scoot over to your wife," Beckett said with a smile. She waited for Mary to do so before she got in and as they were driving to the Promenade she said, "Though that was a walk it was nice."

"The scenery is nice here," Skye said in agreement.

"Why didn't we just walk from here Mummy?" Kathleen asked from the back.

"It's a bit of a walk still," Skye answered. "But we're on our way so don't worry."

"Are you two going to be here for the rehearsal?" Castle asked the twins.

"Yep, Mummy and Mommy said we could go somewhere else if we wanted with friends but we want to see them playing," Marie answered.

"Yeah Mummy said you saw them the other night," Kathleen added.

"We did," Beckett said, looking back at them. "And we enjoyed it very much."

"Good 'cause they're very… good," Kathleen said before she giggled with Marie.

"And we'll be doing that at eleven," Mary said.

"Lunch?" Beckett asked.

"At twelve thirty since the party starts at seven tonight," Skye answered. She'd reached the parking structure at the middle of the Promenade on 4th Street and went inside, stopping at the spot that faced the sidewalk. "We got lucky for a Sunday," she commented while they were all getting out of the car.

"It's fall though," Mary pointed out to her wife before they went down some steps they were near to the sidewalk.

"Did Julia see our mothers playing?" Marie asked Beckett as she walked with her, slipping her hand in hers.

"She did, I sent her the video," she replied with a smile. "And she loved it."

"I think she's jealous of how good your moms can play," Castle said to Kathleen who he was walking with.

"Did you tell her to practice?" the little girl asked.

"Well we don't know for sure if she is," Castle said when they reached the street and went down to the restaurant. "But if she ever says that we'll tell her."

They had reached the place by then and were able to sit at the same table the four had eaten at before. Once they'd ordered Beckett spoke saying, "Are you going shopping at all?"

"No by the time we finish here and make it back home the others will be arriving," Skye said when her wife looked at her. "Did you want to?"

"Not really, we need to get everything set up," Mary began. "Get lunch set up," she added. She smiled and then said, "Plus I'm still wondering how you're going to set up practice. You still want to play his favorites?"

"Okay," Skye said after thinking. "Why don't we do a few random ones again?"

"That's fine with me," Mary replied.

"How long is the rehearsal going to be?" Castle asked.

"For about an hour before and an hour after lunch," Skye answered. When she saw the startled expressions on their faces she told Castle and Beckett, "It's like we're at a concert with a very long intermission."

"It helps us perform more songs in a row," Mary added. "But don't worry in between we'll take a sort of break to get the next song and switch instruments if we need to."

"Why didn't you do it in the morning Mummy?" Marie then said.

With a smile Skye said, "We needed some rest and breakfast." She then looked at Castle and Beckett and told them, " _They know_."

Though she wondered at her telling the two about the case Beckett then realized something, "Mari."

" _What_?" Castle asked.

" _She was there last night; she heard_ ," Beckett replied.

Sucking in a breath of air Castle then said, " _I don't know if it'll be a problem but believe me if it was_ David _and_ Rebecca _would let us know_."

"Okay," Beckett said, turning her attention to the McDouglases who were all looking at her. "Sorry," she said with a smile. "We were just discussing something," she said as she was adding that for the girls' sake since Skye and Mary could understand their conversation. "What were we talking about?"

"I think the best thing to talk about is eating; our food is here," Mary commented as she nodded to the waiters who were bringing over their plates.

While they were eating Castle and Beckett were both suddenly missing their daughters, watching the twins laughing and talking with their mothers. They could see how much Skye and Mary had missed their daughters themselves and they glanced at one another every so often, knowing the other was remembering something. It wasn't until they were walking to the car that they spoke about that, the McDouglases ahead of them.

"What is it?" Castle asked his wife as she squeezed his hand tightly.

With a slight smile Beckett said, "What were you thinking, watching them with the twins?"

"Just remembering when we took Eliza down to the beach for the first time," Castle responded.

With a soft laugh Beckett said, "I guess their conversation influenced you," as the McDouglas twins had been begging their mothers to go down to the beach.

"I guess so," Castle said, squeezing her hand gently before he looked ahead of them while they were pausing to cross the street. He couldn't help himself and remembered again, that June of 2015 when they'd taken their youngest; then three months old; down to the backyard of their home.

* * *

 _"Mommy," Julia was saying as she watched with Alexis as their parents set out the blankets._

 _"Yes sweetie?" Beckett asked, looking up at her. "Is Eliza okay?"_

 _"She's fine," Alexis said quickly as she was holding her littlest sister._

 _"Mommy can she come swimming with us? Please?" Julia begged, hurrying to her mother and holding her hand tightly._

 _"We'll take her in the water," Castle said before his wife could answer. "But not actually swimming; she'll be a little too young for that."_

 _Julia wrinkled her nose at him; making him laugh; before she said, "That's not what I meant Daddy."_

 _"No but it sounded like it," Castle replied. He laughed when the little girl jumped at him and he said, "Okay come here and get sunscreen on okay?"_

 _"Okay," Julia said since she knew she wouldn't be able to go into the water if she didn't listen. She let her father get her covered before she was heading down to the water with her mother. "Are you happy to get to go Mommy?" she asked._

 _"Of course, why?" Beckett asked, slightly confused._

 _"You didn't get to go before when Daddy and I went last time," Julia answered._

 _"That's because I needed to stay with your sister," Beckett replied as she had gone outside with Eliza after she'd nursed the baby. She glanced back at her husband and smiled seeing he was holding their youngest above him as she cooed. Turning her attention back to her oldest she said, "But we're here now."_

 _"When can Lizzy go in the water?" Julia then asked._

 _"I think now," Beckett said. "Rick," she called to her husband._

 _"Oh, I think we get to go in Eliza," Castle said. "Are you coming with us?"_

 _"Of course," Alexis replied since he'd asked her. She followed him down to the water and took Julia onto her hip as they watched Eliza's feet dip into the water. The baby merely moved slightly and gurgled a little, looking around them. "Did you think she was going to protest that?" she asked her father and stepmother as she saw they appeared to be relieved._

 _"You never know," Castle replied. "But now that I think of it you were okay."_

 _"You were lucky," Alexis said._

 _"You know you can go out and swim now sweetie," Beckett said quickly before Julia could ask about what her first time swimming had been like. "With your sister if you want."_

 _"Not yet," Julia said simply with a wide smile at Alexis._

 _"She's right," the young woman said. "I think we want to stay with you and Lizzy, see how things go."_

 _"Okay, a little deeper?" Castle asked his wife._

 _"I think so," Beckett replied as they stepped in a little more. She watched with him to see Eliza's reaction but she seemed to be fine, soon leaning against Castle. She and her husband then stood together then, watching Julia and Alexis start to swim around them to get their sister's attention. When they'd stopped she then took the baby who'd begun to cry, going back to their blankets and towel. She sat on a low beach chair as Castle sat next to her and quickly began to nurse their youngest as he looked on. She waited and was slightly startled when her husband didn't say anything until she was switching their daughter to her other breast._

 _"Do you think we should take her in fully?" Castle asked after he'd cupped the back of Eliza's head very gently so he didn't disturb her._

 _"Did you ever do that with Alexis?" Beckett replied._

 _"I did but don't ask me to remember when that was exactly," Castle said. "Around her age," he added, nodding down to Eliza. He felt something fall onto him then and he laughed saying, "Hey you got tired already?"_

 _"No, it was kinda boring," Julia replied, wrapping her arms around his neck. When he embraced her with one arm she smiled and said, "Are you gonna go swimming too?"_

 _"I might," Castle replied as he looked at his wife._

 _"I have to get her down for a nap," Beckett said to his look. "And then I'll need to watch her."_

 _"We can do that," Alexis said with a smile when her father looked so obviously disappointed._

 _"Yeah, go swimming with Daddy, Mommy!" Julia exclaimed._

 _"For a little," Beckett said, not surprised when her husband turned to her. Since Eliza was finished then she rested the baby against her covered shoulder and patted her back before she said, "We'll stay at least until she falls asleep."_

 _"Sure," Castle said, knowing he was lucky she was agreeing to go with him. He took the baby from her and laid her down, kissing her temple before he sat up and watched with the others as Eliza fell asleep._

 _"She'll be fine," Alexis said after that point, watching her stepmother place her hand on Eliza's back._

 _"We won't be out that long," Castle said, taking his wife's hand once they were standing up. They then walked down to the water and he didn't let her go until they could dive underneath an incoming wave. When they resurfaced he said with a smile, "Thank you."_

 _"You're welcome but I did want to go," Beckett replied, smiling back at him._

 _"What do you think about bringing Julia with us when we go back?" Castle asked after they'd ducked underneath another wave._

 _"If she'll come with us then okay," Beckett replied._

 _"Maybe now we've gone out swimming…" Castle began._

 _"Maybe," Beckett said easily. She leaned over and kissed him, gently slipping her tongue into his mouth, before she wrapped her arm around his neck to hold onto him._

 _His head tilting to the side slightly Castle found he was enjoying the taste of his wife's mouth even though he was also getting the flavor of the water as well. When they parted he glanced back with her to the beach and could just barely make out their daughters who were playing a hand game._

 _"I get the feeling they're doing that very quietly," Beckett said._

 _"Even if they didn't Alexis could still take care of Eliza," Castle replied. "Keep going?" When his wife just splashed him, he spluttered slightly and laughed before he dove under the water after her._

 _"I guess they're gonna play too," Julia said quietly to her sister when they heard Beckett laughing out in the water. "They should," she then added. "They have to take care of Lizzy."_

 _"I know and it's a good thing you suggested they do this," Alexis replied. She watched her father and stepmother, seeing they had begun to kiss again before she turned back to her sister. "They still do that right?" she asked._

 _"Kiss? Yep, even after Lizzy was here and crying all night," Julia said as she nodded._

 _"That's good to hear," Alexis said with a smile. "You should go swimming with them when they come back."_

 _"Could I?" Julia asked._

 _"I think so but you know your mom will probably have you wear your vest still," Alexis pointed out._

 _Julia nearly started to groan but stopped herself when she remembered she might wake up Eliza. "When can I stop wearing it?" she said._

 _"When Dad and your mom say so," Alexis said simply, trying not to smile too widely._

 _"Alright," Beckett said once she and Castle had finally parted from another kiss. "I think we should head back to the girls."_

 _"I'll follow," Castle said before he ducked under the water and began to swim together with her to the beach._

 _"Hi!" Julia said happily when her parents walked up to her as she was waiting for them ankle deep in the water._

 _"Hey, we were just going to ask if you wanted to come swimming with us," Beckett said with a smile, hugging her oldest._

 _"Yeah," Julia said very simply. She then waved to Alexis; who waved back; and said, "'lexis can swim after. And she said that I should come and swim with you."_

 _"We figured," Castle said, amused at her wanting to make sure that they knew Alexis didn't mind she was staying behind. They went into the water and once they could they ducked together underneath a wave before they resurfaced. "Was your sister asleep this whole time?" she then asked._

 _"Yeah, she was sleeping," Julia replied, looking at her mother. She went to her and wrapped her arms around her neck, kissing her cheek and saying, "And she asked if you still kiss. Did she think you stop now that Lizzy is here?"_

 _"I think she's worried we'd have fewer chances for that," Beckett replied, kissing Julia back. "We'll tell her she doesn't need to."_

 _"We make sure we have those chances," Castle commented. He laughed and then yelled out as first Beckett splashed him and after Julia. "Thanks," he said to the little girl as she giggled heavily at his annoyed expression though he didn't make it very serious._

 _"I saw Mommy do that to you," Julia explained before she hugged him tightly and squeezed him a little tightly around the neck. "Do you love me Daddy?" she then asked, slightly shyly._

 _"Oh of course," Castle said quickly, knowing from her tone of voice that he couldn't really joke around in his answer. He pressed his lips to her cheek and then said, "And your mom and sisters too; all of you. And you I love because you're our second daughter."_

 _Not smiling though her husband's tone of voice slowed down a little comically at the end Beckett said, "He's right but that's just one reason why we both love you."_

 _"Come on, let's go back and give your sister a chance to swim," Castle said then as Julia swam over to her mother to kiss her. He followed the two to the beach and when they were walking up to Alexis he said, "She's still asleep?"_

 _"She is," the young woman replied with a smile, looking over at them from checking on Eliza. "And that's all you're swimming?"_

 _"We'll take turns," Beckett replied. "Go ahead with Julia; or on your own if you'd like."_

 _"I'll take Jules," Alexis said. "We'll walk down a little and look at shells too."_

 _"Can we?" Julia whispered._

 _"Go ahead," Beckett said in amusement watching them soon leave. "_ Why does she feel she needs to ask for _Alexis?" she asked in Irish._

 _"_ I'm not sure _," Castle replied with a shrug, sitting with her next to the bassinet they'd brought out for their youngest. "_ But it's nice she's including her _."_

 _"_ Even though she's an adult _Alexis_ is still her sister _," Beckett commented before her husband nodded. She couldn't help it and she leaned over, kissing him gently on the lips. She knew they couldn't really do that for very long since they were with Eliza but she couldn't resist kissing him for a second time._

 _When they parted they pressed their foreheads together and murmured that they loved each other. Parting they sat pressed close to one another, watching the waves and checking on their daughters every so often at the same time._

* * *

"You two alright?" Skye asked, waiting for Castle and Beckett at the bottom of the few steps up to the parking structure.  
"We're just remembering our daughters," Castle explained first. "I was recalling when we took Eliza to the beach for the first time."

"Oh, I remember taking the twins over here," Skye replied, nodding in the direction of the ocean. "It's memorable especially if you live near the water." She smiled and then said, "More so for you two since you live right on it of course."

"Of course," Castle said before he and his wife followed their friend up the steps to the car where the others were waiting. "What were you thinking about?" he asked.

"Does it matter?" Beckett replied.

"I really want to know," Castle said. "I'm going to read your mind and say I wasn't in this memory."

Sighing, though she smiled soon after, Beckett then told him, "You were, do you remember the first Friday after Julia started school?"

"Very well," Castle said. "Nice memory," he told her before they reached the car and climbed in after the McDouglases.

As they drove back to the family's home Beckett glanced back at her husband, talking to the twins seriously, before she sat forward again and tried not to lose herself in the memory as she had before.

* * *

 _Standing at the open gate to the schools Beckett searched the little kids coming out before she spotted her daughter. "Julia," she called, waving her hand._

 _"Mommy!" the little girl said eagerly, rushing over to her. She hugged her tightly and said, "Is it the weekend?"_

 _"It is now," Beckett replied, picking her up. "You want to be finished with school that fast?" she couldn't help asking with a smile._

 _"Yeah," Julia said, nodding. "Do you hafta work?"_

 _"No," Beckett said. "I managed to finish in time so we can spend the whole weekend together." Since she was at the sidewalk she then raised her hand and watched a cab stop for her before she helped her daughter into the back of it. When they were on their way she said, "Do you mind if Castle spends time with us?"_

 _"Does he want to?" Julia asked with a slight smile on her face. When her mother nodded she giggled and said, "Kay." She watched her mother do something on her phone before turning to her. "Did you say?"_

 _"I did, he's going to meet us at home," Beckett replied._

 _"Kay," Julia replied. She then smiled at her mother and opened her mouth to speak before she looked at the partition from the driver and seeing it was closed said, "Are you happy?"_

 _"I am, I haven't seen him yet today," Beckett replied. When her daughter looked at her with wide eyes she smiled and explained, "All I had was paperwork."_

 _"Oh," Julia said before she looked out the window. "We're home Mommy," she said eagerly when they'd reached the building._

 _"I can see," Beckett said, quickly paying before getting out. She held Julia by the hand and as they were walking through the lobby her grip tightened a little. She tried not to think about when they'd been separated in the same room but it was hard to forget. She didn't relax until they were in the elevator and on their way up._

 _"Mommy?" Julia asked. When her mother looked down at her she said, "My hand hurts."_

 _"Oh, I'm sorry sweetie," Beckett replied, letting her go. She placed her hand on the back of her daughter's head and they walked off the car to the hall down to their home. She let Julia walk in first and smiled as the little girl squealed in her joy as she picked up her Stitch doll from the chair in the entry. "Go to your room sweetie so you can change out of your uniform," she told her as Julia was talking to the doll._

 _With a nod, the little girl then left and spoke to Stitch the entire way until she was at her room. Julia talked to her fish about her day until she felt her mother's hand on her shoulder. "Kauai says that he got lots of exercises," she told her with a wide smile._

 _"I can imagine, come on," Beckett replied with a smile of her own as she helped her off the stool so she could look up at the fish tank. She changed her into a sweater and jeans and let her daughter lead the way to her bedroom. "How did you know I was going to change too?" she asked after setting Julia on the bed._

 _"'Cause Castle's gonna come here," the little girl said in a matter of fact tone. She watched her mother change her blouse before she said, "No more?"_

 _"No, that was enough for me," Beckett said. Since her boyfriend still wasn't there she led her daughter out to the coffee table where she let her begin to color as they waited._

 _When there was a knock on the door Julia jumped and dropped her crayon she was holding before she looked at her mother._

 _"Who did we say was going to be here sweetie?" Beckett asked her._

 _"It's Castle," Julia replied, jumping up._

 _Beckett wasn't surprised when her daughter waited for her to reach her so they could hold hands over to the door. She opened it after making sure it was her boyfriend and said, "You took a while," the second before she noticed the bags in his hands._

 _"I went to pick up what'll be dinner," Castle replied, stepping inside before she closed the door behind him. With that done he leaned over and kissed her gently, looking down at Julia who was standing next to her when they'd parted. "So, your first week of school over," he said with a smile._

 _"Yeah, did you stop to work?" Julia asked._

 _"You mean am I done working for the weekend? I am," Castle replied, smiling still. "Though I didn't have as much as you and your mom."_

 _Beckett helped him with the groceries until everything was put away and she said, "Tomorrow we should take her out."_

 _"I think Alexis was talking about doing that with my mother," Castle replied._

 _"Really?" Beckett replied._

 _"Really," Castle said easily with a slight smile. "And I'm inclined to let them do that."_

 _"So am I," Beckett said. She looked down at her daughter and asked, "Do you want to go with Alexis and Martha to dinner?"_

 _"Kay," Julia said excitedly. "What about you?" she asked the two._

 _"We'll have dinner at the loft," Castle replied. "Stay over?" he asked his girlfriend._

 _"Okay," Beckett said with a smile since Julia had turned to her in anticipation of her answer. "But my dad wants us to go to brunch with him… let me text him."_

 _"You don't need to cancel your plans," Castle said in confusion watching her._

 _"I'm not," Beckett replied easily. "I'm telling him to expand our reservation by three."_

 _"Can he do that?" Castle asked._

 _"He will," Beckett replied with a smile, knowing he had asked that in case he would need to use his name. "Okay," she said when shortly after she'd sent the text her father answered her. "He'll try the best he can."_

 _"Then we should go ahead and get started on dinner," Castle replied. "Unless you two aren't hungry."_

 _"I am," Julia replied, raising her hand in the air. "Can I help?"_

 _"I think you can," Castle replied. He was pleased when she held her hand out to him and then said, "Your mom told me that she was teaching you how to cook."_

 _"Little bit," Julia said a little shyly._

 _"Then I'll teach you a little more," Castle said, picking Julia up to set her on the counter._

 _"Like what?" Beckett asked, standing next to him._

 _"You'll see," Castle replied. He then realized she was staring at him so he said, "I was going to make some Alfredo; she can help me with the sauce."_

 _"Then she can wait until that point," Beckett replied, taking her daughter off the counter._

 _"But I want to watch Mommy," Julia said in protest._

 _"Hold on," Beckett said, going around the island to get one of the chairs there. She set it at the counter where Castle was going to be working and placed her daughter there before telling her seriously, "Stay here and don't move okay?"_

 _"I won't," Julia replied, using the same tone her mother was as she nodded. She then looked on while Beckett and Castle made some chicken and vegetables before he was working on pasta. "Is it mac'oni?" she asked._

 _"No," Beckett told her with a smile. "It's Alfredo but you like that too."_

 _Julia nodded and watched as Castle drained the long pasta in the sink before she smiled and said, "Now I get to help?"_

 _"You do, hold on," Castle said, getting the pasta into a pot before he set it in front of Julia. He poured the Alfredo sauce Beckett had made and helped her mixing it all up before he said, "And now dinner is ready."_

 _"But the table," Julia said as he set her down._

 _"That's what we're going to do now," Beckett said as she was grabbing the plates. "But just the napkins and forks."_

 _After the table was ready Castle and Beckett sat down with Julia, letting her eat a little before she told them about how her day at school went._

 _"I am sorry my mother couldn't go to watch her," Castle said later when they'd finished eating and he and his girlfriend were cleaning up the dishes._

 _"It's alright, I realize Martha can't always go," Beckett replied. "Plus, I was there to pick her up."_

 _Castle nodded before he then looked over at Julia who was playing with her Stitch doll on the coffee table and said, "She seems happy."_

 _"She does," Beckett replied. "Which is a relief." She tried not to jump when his arm wrapped around her and said, "For us both."_

 _Speechless for a moment Castle finally could say, "How would you like to celebrate her first week of school?"_

 _Giving him a look Beckett then said, "We can make the milkshakes later."_

 _"Oh, so you saw that," Castle replied in amusement._

 _"I don't know how I could have missed the carton of ice cream," Beckett replied. "But really Rick; later."_

 _"Okay," Castle said simply before he followed her over to the coffee table where they sat to begin playing with Julia._

* * *

"Alright," Skye said, checking the guitars out on the patio. "I think we're ready."

"It looks like it," Beckett said with a smile.

"What can I help you with?" Skye then asked.

"I'm just amazed at how at ease you are with this," Beckett replied.

"It took time," Skye said in amusement. "Believe me I didn't just jump into this and perform flawlessly."

"She's right," Raj said, walking over to them to get to his keyboards. "Those first practices we were in the house and we were quite awful."

"Doors locked and everything," Jackie said as she walked over to them.

"They're right," Skye said with a smile. "We weren't too good at first but we improved."

"We should get started," Mary said as she walked up to them with Barry. "The girls would like to go swimming again."

"This rehearsal is kind of pared down," Castle commented as he sat with Beckett under the shade of the patio.

"Well the De Graves are doing… whatever they want to," Skye answered.

"My husband is resting for the party tonight; he'll be working on our sound there," Jackie replied. "So, what's first?"  
"I got it," Raj replied before he looked at his phone. "Ah, _Getting Closer_."

"Okay, good to start out with," Skye replied, nodding her head. "Ready?" she asked the others since they were all either at their instruments or had them on. When she got nods she counted in and Mary began the opening riff before she sang.

 _Say you don't love him, my salamander  
Why do you need him?  
Oh no, don't answer_

 _I'm getting closer  
I'm getting closer to your heart_

Hearing the way Barry was playing Castle wanted to murmur to his wife that he was an incredibly good drummer but she was filming with her phone. So he kept quiet, especially since Skye was singing the next verse.

 _Keeping ahead of the rain on the road  
Watching my windscreen wipers  
Radio play me a danceable ode  
Cattle beware of snipers_

After some guitar licks Beckett glanced at her husband since it had been Mary that had played them. She mouthed, ' _She's good_ ,' before she smiled as her husband nodded with his eyes wide. She did her best not to laugh looking over at the band as Skye sang yet again.

 _When will you see me, my salamander?  
Now don't try to tell me  
Oh no don't answer, oh no_

 _Hitting the chisel and making a joint  
Gluing my fingers together  
Radio play me a song with a point  
Sailor beware of weather_

 _I'm getting closer, my salamander  
Well when will we be there?  
Oh no don't answer, oh no_

When the song had finished Skye went back to Barry and spoke with him quickly before she nodded over to Raj. As she drank her water she said to her daughters, "What do you think?"

"That was the best Mummy," Kathleen said first.

"Better than best," Marie added, nodding her head rapidly.

" _You better, you better, you bet_ …" Skye sang.

"That's what I wanted to ask you," Castle said, throwing his hands up in the air. "You can sing songs from other artists."

"Well of course, I'm not exclusive to The Beatles," Skye replied. "Just my favorite."

"One of the songs we're going to sing tonight," Raj said to everyone looking over at him. " _Tight A$_."

"Alright," Skye said. "You want to take this one?"

"We tried that already," Raj said in slight complaint. "You can sing it far better."

"Fine, I don't always take the lead on these," Skye said, looking back at Castle and Beckett. "We split especially on The Traveling Wilburys songs. Should do one of those next."

"Come on _grá_ ," Mary said, smiling at her wife.

Sighing in mock annoyance Skye then smiled and went to get another guitar before she checked to see if it was in tune. She counted in once they were all prepared to start and once they'd finished the intro she began.

 _Well just as tight a$ you can make it  
Hard and slow ain't hard enough  
Just as tight a$ you can shake it girl  
Git it on and do your stuff_

 _Tight a$ you can get it  
Tight a$ got it made  
Uptight's alright right but if you can't stand the heat  
You better get back in the shade_

 _Well just a$ tight as an Indian rope trick  
Long and tough ain't hard enough  
Just as tight a$ as a dope fiend's fix my friend  
Git it up and do your stuff_

 _Tight a$ you can boogie  
Tight a$ got it laid  
Uptight's alright right but if you can't stand the heat  
You better get back in the shade_

As the band began to play the instrumental Castle leaned towards his wife and murmured, "She's not pronouncing it right."

"With her daughters here?" Beckett whispered back, looking with him at the two who were jumping up and down in their dancing to the upbeat music. She smiled, though it was a little hard to do so as she thought of Julia and Eliza doing the same. Shaking her head when Skye was starting up yet again she made sure her phone was steady on the woman as she listened to the lyrics.

 _Well just as tight a$ you can make it  
Hard and slow ain't hard enough  
Just as tight a$ you can shake it girl  
Git it on and do your stuff_

 _Tight a$ you can get it  
Tight a$ got it made  
Uptight's alright right but if you can't stand the heat  
You better get back in the shade_

 _Well just a$ tight as an Indian rope trick  
Long and tough ain't hard enough  
Just as tight a$ as a dope fiend's fix my friend  
Git it up and do your stuff_

Tight a$ you can boogie  
Tight a$ got it laid  
Uptight's alright right but if you can't stand the heat  
You better get back in the shade

At the second instrumental Castle grabbed Kathleen's hand when she passed near him and he spun her around to her cry of laughter.

The noise getting her attention Skye glanced over at them and smiled when she saw the man spinning both of her daughters. She tried her best to focus on the chords she was still playing, which took a little effort but when she had to sing that helped her greatly.

 _Well tight a$ got me cornered  
Tight a$ she got laid  
Tight a$ strut your stuff so tough  
Just a sitting in the midnight shade_

 _Tight a$ she can boogie  
Tight a$ she got laid  
Uptight's alright right but if you can't stand the heat  
You better get back in the shade_

As the band played the rest of the chords and then stopped Beckett applauded with the twins and her husband. "Could I make a suggestion?" she asked them.

"Sure," Mary replied.

"What about an Elton John song?" Beckett replied.

"Why… oh you want me on the piano," Skye said as she took off her guitar. "I think we can manage."

"Not _Crocodile Rock_ ," Castle said quickly. "We'll never get the song out of our heads."

"We haven't tried that one yet," Jackie said as Skye and Raj were switching places.

"No, I have one," Skye said. "And I'll ask about the video after. Here we go."

When she heard the opening notes of the music Beckett exchanged a smile with her husband at it since it was one of their favorites of the singer's. She made sure she was recording again, waiting for Skye to begin to sing.

 _You could never know what it's like  
Your blood's like winter freezes just like ice  
And there's a cold lonely light that shines from you  
You'll wind up like the wreck you hide behind the mask you use_

 _And did you think this fool could never win  
Well look at me, I'm coming back again  
I got a taste of love in a simple way  
And if you need to know while I'm still standing you just fade away_

 _Don't you know I'm still standing better than I ever did  
Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid  
I'm still standing after all this time  
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind_

 _I'm still standing yeah, yeah, yeah  
I'm still standing yeah, yeah, yeah_

Smiling at the way the others sang the yeahs Castle looked over at Beckett who was handing her phone to Marie, watching as the little girl started to film. Kathleen was still next to him and he smiled as she was jumping up and down yet again.

 _Once I never could hope to win  
You starting down the road leaving me again  
The threats you made were meant to cut me down  
And if our love was just a circus you'd be a clown by now_

 _You know I'm still standing better than I ever did  
Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid  
I'm still standing after all this time  
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind_

 _I'm still standing yeah, yeah, yeah  
I'm still standing yeah, yeah, yeah_

There Jackie began to play her electric guitar, jumping around in the short time she had before she yelled, "Go on Skye!"

 _Don't you know I'm still standing better than I ever did  
Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid  
I'm still standing after all this time  
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind_

 _I'm still standing yeah, yeah, yeah  
I'm still standing yeah, yeah, yeah_

I'm still standing yeah, yeah, yeah  
I'm still standing yeah, yeah, yeah


	27. To The Sound, Blue Guitars (Part 2)

"Lunch?" Mary asked her wife with a smile when they'd stopped.

"That would be nice," Skye replied. "I'm starving."

"Still a little annoyed you went swimming without us," Barry said jokingly to the two as they were taking care of their instruments.

"That was the twins," Castle said, walking over to them. "But that was great; how often do you perform his songs?"

"Not a lot," Mary answered.

"Maybe if we get a request," Jackie added. "We can sing The Who and a little bit of Queen here and there."

" _Bohemian Rhapsody_?" Castle said immediately.

"Too predictable, we can perform the song you had at your wedding," Skye said.

"Should we do that for the last time?" Raj said.

"Please," Beckett said. She smiled when everyone looked at her and said, "It makes me nostalgic."

"Patrick?" Skye asked. When her friend nodded she smiled herself before saying, "I think we can…" When the rest of the band nodded she went with them back to their instruments and she had a guitar soon after. She waited for Barry to play them in and after singing all together she was on her own.

 _Ooh you make me live  
Whatever this world can give to me  
It's you you're all I see  
Ooh you make me live now honey  
Ooh you make me live_

Since they were standing while they were listening to the performance Castle reached over and took his wife's hand, squeezing it tightly. They smiled at each other before turning their attention back to Skye once more.

 _Ooh you're the best friend that I ever had  
I've been with you such a long time  
You're my sunshine and I want you to know  
That my feelings are true  
I really love you  
Oh, you're my best friend_

 _Ooh you make me live_

Mary took over then and no one seemed to be all that surprised when she turned to her wife next to her, staring at her as she continued the song.

 _Ooh I've been wandering round  
But I still come back to you  
In rain or shine  
You've stood by me girl  
I'm happy at home  
You're my best friend_

 _Ooh you make me live  
Whenever this world is cruel to me  
I got you to help me forgive  
Ooh you make me live now honey  
Ooh you make me live_

 _You're the first one  
When things turn out bad  
You know I'll never be lonely  
You're my only one  
And I love the things  
I really love the things that you do  
Ooh you're my best friend_

 _Ooh you make me live_

With the last verse Skye and Mary sang together and by then Castle had his arm wrapped tightly around his wife at the reminder of why they'd used it at their wedding.

 _I'm happy at home  
You're my best friend  
Oh, you're my best friend  
Ooh you make me live  
You're my best friend_

With a last strum of the strings on her guitar Skye went to her wife and exchanged a quick kiss with her before they were putting their things away and gathering in the kitchen. When they were around the table on the patio with their food she asked Beckett, "Shouldn't that song make you think of your husband?"

With a smile Beckett replied, "You would think that and it does eventually. But when Patrick and I were in the Academy together we would listen to that song since he loves Queen too. We would talk about how we'd love to have that song at our weddings. And I did. Him too."

"They had a reception?" Raj asked.

"No, they married in New Orleans," Beckett replied. "It's why they adopted their son from there."

"Why New Orleans?" Jackie asked.

"Trevor loves the city," Beckett answered. "They had a party with friends and family in DC after and played the song there. So we both got lucky in our wish coming true with that. Now what were you going to say about the music video for the Elton John song?"

"Oh," Skye replied. She nodded and said, "You've seen it I take it?"

"Of course," Castle replied.

"Okay, you know the judge Bruno from _Dancing With the Stars_ ," Skye continued.

"He's in that," Beckett stated. When her friend nodded she became thoughtful herself and smiled saying, "We'd have to watch it again."

"You'll recognize him now you know to look for him," Mary commented.

"They're right, he'll be hard to miss," Barry replied.

Mary turned the attention to the girls, bringing them into the conversation as they'd been quiet for some time. The other adults helped her with that and when they finished they all agreed they wanted to try swimming before they returned to their rehearsing. So once things were cleaned they hurried to change in the two houses before they then met at the pool in their bathing suits.

"Do you know where you're going to play?" Castle asked, sitting on the top step with his wife as Skye was standing in front of them.

"I think so," the investigator replied. "We'll be out on the terrace."

"Oh… really?" Castle asked.

"There aren't going to be too many people there," Skye replied with a shrug. "And we wouldn't start until after dinner so they can clear it up for our instruments."

" _Grá_ ," Mary called from the pool. "Come on."

When Skye had left them Beckett told her husband, "We need to call the girls."

"I know," Castle said. "Maybe they'll get some drinks or something while we do that."

"Or they can just perform," Beckett replied wryly.

"Or that," Castle said before she laughed and then pushed him. Sitting up straight he stood and said, "I'm going around, coming with?"

"Sure," Beckett replied with a smile.

They swam together, going around the others in the pool until they sat across from each other on their chairs.

Castle was about to speak when he heard his phone shake on the table between their chairs and he quickly picked it up. "It's from Alexis… they're going to the movies?" he said, looking at his wife.

"Did she say what time?" Beckett asked since the next day was a school day.

"Oh, at five it'll be over by six thirty and they'll have a small dinner at home of sandwiches before she gets Eliza to bed in time," Castle said as there was a second text.

"She wants to talk now?" Beckett then said.

"She does," Castle replied.

Beckett stood and told the others what they were going to be leaving to do before they headed over to the guest house, changing back into their clothes as they knew they'd be going back out to see the band once they were done. When the TV was ready she looked at the screen and smiled when she saw Julia and Eliza appear. "Hey you two," she said. "Oh, and you Alexis," she added when her stepdaughter appeared on the screen.

"Hi Mommy!" Eliza said, waving, her sister saying the same. "What are you doing?"

"We're taking a break," Castle answered. He smiled when the girls greeted him then before he told them, "Well actually it's more the band that's taking a break."

"Did you film them?" Julia asked interestedly.

"I did but I haven't sent it yet because they're not done," Beckett explained. "As soon as they are I'll send it to your sister. Now, how are you sweetie?"

"Good," Julia said with a smile. "I didn't have any more nightmares."

"That's good to hear," Castle said.

"Are you kay Daddy?" Eliza asked. She wasn't surprised when her parents looked at her, startled, and she pointed to her sisters.

"We had to say," Alexis replied. "She overheard me asking Jules if she was alright."

"We're fine," Castle said. "Tell us about your day now we really want to know."

The girls talked about making breakfast with Alexis and Louis before they played with Mari and Dani while they were still there. After Rebecca and David had taken their daughters home they had gone out to play with Macca and Rita once they'd eaten lunch.

"And we did that until we talked to you," Julia finished.

"What about you?" Eliza asked.

"We didn't get too much done since it's still early here," Castle said first.

"We had breakfast with the twins and their mothers," Beckett began, smiling as her husband looked at her at her wording. "And then came back to their house to swim with them until the band rehearsed."

"We ate lunch and went swimming until your sister texted us," Castle finished.

"They're still gonna perform, right?" Julia asked.

"They are, we'll go out and watch them as soon as we're finished with you here," Beckett answered.

"Do you still have the party tonight?" Alexis asked.

"We do," Castle said first. "Which we're eager for but… slightly somber about too."

"That makes sense," Alexis said with a nod. "Just remember I'm sure they'd want you enjoy the party."

"Most likely," Beckett said, looking at her husband. "We'll tell you about it tomorrow."

"Tuesday," Alexis said.

"You-" Beckett began.

"It's okay Mommy," Julia was first to say.

"Yeah, you're gonna go to San Diego," Eliza told them.

"Is Skye flying you down?" Alexis asked.

"No, we're driving," Castle said. He then became thoughtful and he said to his wife, "Why isn't she?"

"Remember the landing into their airport," Beckett said. She then turned her attention back to their daughters and she said, "Are you sure about talking to us on Tuesday?"

"Yep," the girls said at the same time before they smiled at each other.

"Then I guess we'll talk to you then," Castle said slowly. "But if you need to talk to us tomorrow for any reason then call, we don't mind."

"We won't," Beckett added.

"Kay thanks," Eliza said, smiling when her parents laughed.

"We should say goodnight," Alexis said once she'd checked the time.

"Have a great time with the movie," Beckett said.

"Yeah, we want to hear all about it on Tuesday when we get back to you guys," Castle said.

"Oh, before I forget," Alexis said before anyone could say anything else. "Kate, Gram called me earlier today and said that your dress is ready."

"Great," Beckett said. "I feel so bad it took her a while to get it ready."

"She didn't really have much to do besides it," Castle said to his wife.

"And my costume's ready," Eliza said eagerly.

"She got your 'uniform' ready?" Castle asked with a smile.

Nodding her head Eliza said, "Gram wants you to get it."

"When you come back," Alexis said rapidly.

"We'll stop by the loft on the way from the airport," Castle said.

"You won't be able to see it Daddy," Julia said quickly. "Gram's going to have it covered. Lizzy's uniform too."

"Okay then I guess I'll just be surprised," Castle told them.

"Is yours ready?" Eliza asked him.

"It is, it didn't take too long to put together so that's why," Castle replied. "Should we say goodnight?" he asked his wife.

"I think so," Beckett replied with a smile.

"Okay, then I love you girls," Castle said, looking at Alexis as well so she would know he was including her.

"And I love you girls too," Beckett said immediately after.

"Love you Mommy, Daddy," Julia said first.

"I love you too Mommy and Daddy," Eliza said. "Have a good party."

"We will," Beckett said with a smile.

"And I love you Dad, Kate," Alexis said when her sisters looked at her. "We'll talk to you on Tuesday."

After they'd waved to the girls and Alexis closed their connection Castle turned to his wife and said, "I really want to see it."

"You'll see it," Beckett replied with a smile as he'd been saying that every time her Halloween costume had been mentioned. "Come on I hear them starting up again," she told him when they could hear what sounded like Mary playing a few random chords.

"Hello again," Jackie said when she saw the two walking over to where she and the band were. "Skye's inside with her girls getting us water bottles."

"How much are you going to sing now?" Castle asked.

"We're leaving at four to get some rest and then of course get ready," Raj said. "So about an hour and a half, some talking and breaks."

"We better have some songs to sing," Skye said jokingly.

"Who'll it be, Paul or George?" Jackie asked once she was back with the rest of them.

"Let's have Paul now and then get to George," Skye replied.

Raj looked at his phone and said, "Jackie one of your favorites; _Vanilla Sky_."

"The movie," Castle commented. When the others looked at him, "Not a fan of it; but I do like the song."

"Then you should sit down so we can get started," Mary told him in a mockingly stern tone.

Once the two were sitting with her daughters Skye began to play her acoustic guitar, going through the intro until she stepped up to her mic and began to sing.

 _The chef prepares a special menu  
For your delight, oh my  
Tonight you fly, so high up  
In the vanilla sky_

 _Your life is fine  
It's sweet and sour  
Unbearable great  
You've got to learn  
Every hour, you must appreciate_

 _This is your time  
This is your day  
You've got it all  
Don't blow it away_

Beginning there Raj began to play a small flute and the rest of the band began to sing when he'd stopped. Skye eventually began to whistle as Paul had done in the song, winking at her daughters when they applauded her efforts.

 _The chef prepares a special menu  
For your delight, oh my  
Tonight you fly, so high up  
In the vanilla sky_

 _Melted tin beads  
Cast your fortune  
In a glass of wine_

 _Snail or fish  
Balloon or dolphin  
See your silver shine_

 _This is your time  
This is your day  
You've got it all  
Don't blow it away_

The band began another instrumental with Skye making a few noises and whistling along with the music before she nodded to her wife.

Castle, seeing the look on his wife's face could tell then that she had noticed the nod as well, turned back but soon realized what that had been for when the two began to sing the rest of the lyrics.

 _The chef prepares a special menu  
For your delight, oh my  
Tonight you fly, so high up  
In the vanilla sky  
In the vanilla, uh, in the vanilla, oh in the vanilla sky  
In the vanilla, ah, in the vanilla, uh in the vanilla sky_

Skye began to hum then and finally sang to end things, " _In the vanilla sky_." She made a flourish with her hand on the strings and smiled when the four in front of them applauded. "Give that to Raj, he does fantastic on the flute."

"He does," Beckett said. "Our daughter will like seeing you play that."

"The recorder?" the man asked as he was looking at his phone and smiling.

"She still plays it but she does like the piano," Castle began. He then inclined his head a bit and said, "And the guitar."

"Good to be well rounded musically," Barry said. "What'll it be dear?"

Raj glanced at his husband; smiling; before he said, " _Unconsciousness Rules_."

"Julia danced to that one time," Beckett said.

"Good, it's the perfect song for that," Skye replied, switching her guitars. "I think we're all set…" she said slowly looking around. When they nodded she held up her hand and then counted down with her fingers before they began the introduction to the song with the others singing the harmony there until the point where she needed to sing.

 _You dance at the discotheque  
That's why you look such a wreck  
Your face is pale you look drawn  
Your clothes are dirty and torn  
You've got that look in your eyes that says  
You're half alive and you're lost inside  
Meanwhile you're back in your cage  
Ego'd out on the stage  
Where the unconsciousness rules_

When the band played the chords before the next verse Beckett couldn't help but smile as she could easily tell that Skye was enjoying the song since she was looking at her fingers on the neck of the guitar moving while again everyone else was singing again.

 _You've got yourself in a bind  
You don't know how to unwind  
Your senses unsatisfied  
Take you along on a ride  
You've got a way and a stance that says  
You'll dance the pants off of everyone  
Then you go back on the floor  
You got to get through the door  
Where the unconsciousness rules_

At the instrumental that time Skye sang through the entire time but not any words until she got to the last verse.

 _You've lost a screw in your head  
It shows the way you're led  
Blind leading the blind  
Nothing can stand in your way  
You're living day after day  
Where the unconsciousness rules_

Watching the twins rush to their mothers when they had finished Castle said to his wife, "I wonder if we're going to see this many songs tonight."

"I'm hoping so," Beckett said, keeping her voice low as she glanced over at Skye and Mary. "The more he sees her play the better."

"What exactly are you hoping happens?" Castle asked, looking at the two women to make sure that they didn't hear.

"Anything," Beckett said easily. She shrugged when her husband looked at her in surprise and told him, "That's more up to Paul isn't it?"

Castle had to nod and as he looked at the band who were taking a break then to drink some water he realized his wife was right. Whatever would happen he thought the singer should hear her play as well. "You have another song?" he asked then, shaking himself as he saw they were gathering around Raj.

"Another George song," the man said. " _Apple Scruffs_."

"Gear," Skye said. "You two've heard of them I suspect," she said to her friends.

"Of course, the fans waiting to see the band outside buildings in London," Castle said first.

"Julia wanted to know what that meant; she thought it was about dogs," Beckett continued. "So we told her about them."

"Great, we can get on with it," Skye said as she switched to an acoustic from the electric she'd been playing. She placed a slide on her finger and flexed her hand saying, "Also a slightly easier song for us to play."

"Slightly," Barry said, standing in between Jackie and Skye with a harmonica.

"You can play that?" Castle asked.

"I can, but just a few things," Barry replied. "I'm ready."

With a nod Skye counted them in under her breath before she then watched as her wife and Barry proceeded to play the intro on the harmonica and acoustic guitar. When Barry went a little higher she playfully raised her left hand up to him before he playfully glared at her. She had to sing soon after so she couldn't really tease him anymore but she had a smile on her face at the lyrics as she was playing her slide as well.

 _I've watched you sitting there  
Seen the passers-by all stare  
Like you have no place to go  
But there's so much they don't know  
About Apple Scruffs_

When Barry played the harmonica, Beckett looked on as the girls rushed up to their mothers again. She glanced at her husband, wondering if they should have stopped them. But before she could try to gesture to Skye about that her friend was singing.

 _You've been stood around for years  
Seen my smiles and touched my tears  
How it's been a long, long time  
And how you've been on my mind  
My Apple Scruffs_

While the drummer again played his harmonica, Skye took her mic off its stand and handed it to the girls before she went over to Mary and her mic.

 _Apple Scruffs, Apple Scruffs  
How I love you, how I love you_

When the twins began to sing Beckett smiled with her husband and knew he was thinking the same; that if Julia was there she'd have gone with them. She checked her phone briefly to make sure it was set before she was looking back up at the performers.

 _In the fog and in the rain  
Through the pleasure and the pain  
On the step outside you stand  
With flowers in your hands  
Apple Scruffs_

 _While the years they come and go  
But your love must surely show me  
That beyond all time and space  
We're together face to face  
Apple scruffs_

When they'd finished singing Kathleen handed the mic back to her mother and then hugged her tightly. "Thank you Mummy," she said before her sister was doing the same and said the same.

"You're welcome but I'm surprised you want to sing that, there isn't much," Skye said, kissing them both.

"It's still fun," Marie said seriously.

"Okay," Mary said with a smile. "Go on and sit we're going to take a break."

"A shorter one?" Skye asked her wife.

"No," Jackie said quickly. "A little longer so we can sit."

"Okay," Skye said in slight laughter as they set aside their instruments and went over to the chairs that were there set up next to the ones that Castle and Beckett had been sitting on with the twins.

"It's five after three," Raj said as he was checking the time on his phone.

"I guess this will be a longer break," Skye said. "We won't be doing this tonight."

"It doesn't matter," Beckett said. "You're not at a concert just a private show."

"Are there houses around the Getty?" Castle asked.

"They might be able to hear music," Mary said.

"But unlikely they'll get any details," Barry said. He laughed when the others looked at him in confusion and said, "Sorry, they won't be able to hear the words likely."

"Good enough, this is for the guests," Skye said simply. She finished her water bottle and said, "You have something?"

"No, I was going to wait," Raj said since the woman was asking him.

"Why don't we try one of Ringo's?" Mary asked. "We already covered George; we need one of Ringo's next."

"Give me a minute," Raj replied before he turned his attention to his phone. "This shouldn't surprise you, _Back Off Boogaloo_."

"That doesn't," Skye replied.

"You know Ringo lives around here," Castle said to Barry.

"Oh, I know but that doesn't mean I'm going to search out for him, bit weird," the drummer replied. He smiled and said, "He is my hero though."

"Was there a song that got your attention in the first place?" Beckett asked him.

"I suppose _The End_ ," Barry replied. "He had an amazing solo on that."

Thinking of that in his head Castle eventually nodded before saying, "That would be a good one."

"And from there I listened to more and got inspiration to learn," Barry finished. "And that makes me want to get back to our practice."

"Alright, back up," Mary said as they stood up while Castle, Beckett and the twins remained on the chairs. "Who's singing this one?" she asked her wife.

"You can," Skye replied. "Time for me to have a break."

"Think I can request one?" Beckett asked. "After this song, I mean."

"Go ahead," Skye said, the other band members agreeing with her.

"Tweeter," Beckett replied.

"Ooh, you knew already," Skye said, exaggerating her voice at first. She then broke down into laughter with everyone else. "Oh Mr. Drysdale," she said exaggeratedly. "Sorry, too much _Mystery Science Theater_."

"No, that was a great one," Castle said when he'd calmed down. "But what did she know already?" he asked, gesturing to his wife.

"You'll see once we sing it," Skye replied. "Mary's lead on this one," she told the rest of her band. She waited for Barry to count them in by beating with his drumsticks before he began with his drums and shortly after they all played at the same time before her wife sang as the rest of them joined in as back up.

 _Back off, boogaloo  
Back off, boogaloo  
I said back off boogaloo, boo_

 _Back off boogaloo  
What you think you're gonna do  
I gonna flash right from the start_

 _Wake up meat head  
Don't pretend that you are dead  
Get yourself up off the cart_

 _Get yourself together now  
And give me something tasty  
Everything you try to do  
You know it sure sounds wasted_

 _Back off, boogaloo  
I said back off boogaloo_

While the band was performing Castle and Beckett were watching Barry as he played and they could see from the expression on his face that he was serious about his drumming. They glanced at each other and smiled before they turned their attention to Mary again.

 _You think you're a groove  
Standing there in your wallpaper shoes  
And your socks that match your eyes_

Beginning there Jackie began to play hard on her electric and shortly after Skye joined her and the two of them dueled together until Mary sang again.

 _Get yourself together now  
And give me something tasty  
Everything you try to do  
You know it sure sounds wasted_

Skye and Jackie were dueling again in the space between the chorus and verse, the investigator rocking herself back and forth.

 _Back off boogaloo  
What you think you're gonna do  
I gonna flash right from the start_

 _Back off, boogaloo  
Back off, boogaloo  
Come on back off boogaloo, boo_

The entire band sang the chorus with Mary repeatedly until they stopped; letting Barry play them off with his drums until finally he stopped.

"Nice," Castle said as soon as he could to the drummer. "You're insanely good; Ringo should check you out."

"Great of you to say," Barry replied, smiling over at his husband. "We should get into the next one, it takes a while."

"It does," Skye said. "And here you'll find out what your wife was talking about Rick."

"Glad to see," Castle said. When they began the song he easily recognized it as _Tweeter and the Monkey Man_ since it was one that Julia enjoyed as it was literally a whole story. He was waiting for Skye to begin the first verse but was startled when instead it was Barry who sang into the mic next to him.

 _Tweeter and the Monkey Man were hard up for cash  
They stayed up all night selling cocaine and hash  
To an undercover cop who had a sister named Jan  
For reasons unexplained she loved the Monkey Man_

 _Tweeter was a boy scout before she went to Vietnam  
And found out the hard way nobody gives a damn  
They knew that they found freedom just across the Jersey line  
So they hopped into a stolen car took Highway 99_

The band all together sang the chorus before Raj took over the next two verses.

 _And the walls came down, all the way to hell  
Never saw them when they're standing  
Never saw them when they fell_

 _The undercover cop never liked the Monkey Man  
Even back in childhood he wanted to see him in the can  
Jan got married at fourteen to a racketeer named Bill  
She made secret calls to the Monkey Man from a mansion on the hill_

 _It was out on Thunder Road, Tweeter at the wheel  
They crashed into Paradise, they could hear them tires squeal  
The undercover cop pulled up and said "Everyone is a liar  
If you don't surrender now it's gonna go down to the wire"_

 _And the walls came down, all the way to hell  
Never saw them when they're standing  
Never saw them when they fell_

Jackie took the lead then, glancing at the twins who were watching them all with wide eyes.

 _An ambulance rolled up, a state trooper close behind  
Tweeter took his gun away and messed up his mind  
The undercover cop was left tied up to a tree  
Near the souvenir stand by the old abandoned factory_

 _Next day the undercover cop was a-hot in pursuit  
He was taking the whole thing personal  
He didn't care about the loot  
Jan had told him many times it was you to me who taught  
In Jersey anything's legal as long as you don't get caught_

 _And the walls came down, all the way to hell  
Never saw them when they're standing  
Never saw them when they fell_

Singing next chorus Mary smiled at the twins who were by then dancing once more.

 _Some place by Rahway prison they ran out of gas  
The undercover cop had cornered them said "Boy, you didn't think this could last"  
Jan jumped up out of bed, said "There's someplace I gotta go"  
She took a gun out of the drawer and said, "It's best if you don't know"_

 _The undercover cop was found face down in a field  
The Monkey Man was on the river bridge using Tweeter as a shield  
Jan said to the Monkey Man "I'm not fooled by Tweeter's curl  
I knew him long ago before he ever became a Jersey girl_

 _And the walls came down, all the way to hell  
Never saw them when they're standing  
Never saw them when they fell_

Skye, who had walked around instead of singing the chorus, returned to her mic and began to sing the last two verses before she and the band took the chorus one more time.

 _Now the town of Jersey City is quieting down again  
I'm sitting in a gambling club called the Lion's Den  
The TV set was blown up, every bit of it is gone  
Ever since the nightly news show that the Monkey Man was on_

 _I guess I'll go to Florida and get myself some sun  
There ain't no more opportunity here, everything's been done  
Sometimes I think of Tweeter, sometimes I think of Jan  
Sometimes I don't think about nothing but the Monkey Man_

 _And the walls came down, all the way to hell  
Never saw them when they're standing  
Never saw them when they fell_

When they stopped the group took a short break before they played a few more songs but only three before the rest of them were heading back to their homes.

"So I guess it's time to rest," Skye said, looking at the twins.

"We'll meet you at five out here to go," Mary told Castle and Beckett.

Watching the family go Castle turned to his wife and without a word they took each other's hand and walked to the guest house. "I'm more eager for this party," he told her as they went inside.

"So am I," Beckett assured him with a nod. She then smiled and said, "That's the point of course." She tugged his hand to lead him to the stairs and with a smirk told him, "Come on, I know exactly how we can rest."

Castle had no chance to really protest that but found he didn't want to, the way his wife looked back at him over her shoulder leaving him breathless as they went up to the bedroom.


	28. All The Vast Intricacies Of Life

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: The song lyrics that are in this chapter are from the songs _Fine Line_ by Paul McCartney; from his album _Chaos and Creation in the Backyard_ , _It Don't Come Easy_ by Ringo Starr, _Learning to Fly_ written by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne; from the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album _Into the Great Wide Open_ , _You Got It_ written by Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty; from Roy Orbison's album _Mystery Girl_ , _Jet_ by Paul and Linda McCartney; from the Paul McCartney and Wings album _Band on the Run_ and _The Back Seat of My Car_ by Paul McCartney; from the Paul and Linda McCartney album _Ram_.

A/N #2: Nice to receive the feedback I got for the last chapter so I want to go straight to my thank yous for that! MsNYC (I did recall that you enjoy flashbacks so it was great to read that you did the same with these two as well! And I have heard her sing more than once… to be honest I'm not a fan of her or her singing. For me I see Skye as leaning more towards Gwen Stefani- I don't listen to her on a regular basis but I know her vocals- but maybe with a slight British tinge to her voice like George Harrison can have every so often, that's about the best I can explain it, lol. And yeah, it would be better that the band gets along well so I had to have that with Skye's. Nice to see of course that you thought it was great writing as usual!),  
TORONTOSUN (Really happy to see that you liked the flashbacks in this chapter since I loved writing them. And also glad you liked the Elton John song too, it's one of my favorites of his! And yeah, good blues'll go a long way, you're right! And I'm pleased you thought there were good song choices in the chapter since I wanted them to be good ones!) and  
vetgirlmx (I had to laugh a bit to see your reaction to the rehearsal but I was very glad you thought the preview to the actual concert was good, lol. And yeah, I figure if you love the music you'll have fun playing it but also take it seriously since you're honoring the original versions… at least that's what I would do if I could play and have a band, lol. But I'm glad you think that makes them good! And so happy you loved the flashbacks too! Not surprised you mentioned Kauai and I know about that lifespan too 'cause I've had goldfish myself. You make a good point about the fact that the twins could be making things worse or better for Castle and Beckett, I wanted to convey how much they were missing the girls so nice I could do that! But you're right that with the twins there the rehearsal was different, I noticed it too when I wrote it out. I laughed a bit at you mentioning you can't stop thinking about how the band will be shocked if Paul's there at the party, you'll see if he will in the end. But so happy that you can't wait to see it and now you don't need to anymore!).  
Thanks so much for the reviews, I enjoyed reading them and as always am grateful for the time taken to write them out and send them to me!

A/N #3: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song _The Song We Were Singing_ by Paul McCartney, from his album _Flaming Pie_.

All The Vast Intricacies of Life

"I'm ready," Beckett said as she walked out into the bedroom. "And I just sent the clip to Julia but she won't get it until the morning."

"Hopefully they'll have time to watch it before they need to go to school," Castle said, a smile breaking out on his face as he studied her.

"I'm sure Alexis will make sure they do," Beckett said before he walked to where she was standing at the top of the stairs. "You've seen me in this before," she told him teasingly as he wrapped his arm around her, holding her close.

"I have but I'm still going to enjoy the sight," Castle replied. Before his wife could reply he was kissing her, a little carefully at first before he needed to deepen it. As he tasted her while their tongues were rolling around each other he shuddered and would have been happy to continue when she moved away.

"We need to meet them," Beckett said, slightly breathless. She wasn't surprised when her husband opened his mouth to reply but as she watched he soon stopped. "Come on," she said, taking his hand with a smile before they went down. At the door, she turned to him and straightened his tie before saying, "You don't look too bad yourself."

" _You look stunning_ ," Castle said simply. When she merely brushed her lips to his he took the unspoken message before they went outside the guest house. As they made their way over to the garage he allowed himself to watch her in her blue lace dress, literally tearing his gaze off her when they reached the McDouglases.

"We all look smashing tonight," Skye said, smiling at the two when they had reached them. "We're also ready to go."

Looking into the back of the car Castle saw that there were several guitar cases and some amps. "Is that all you need?" he asked.

"Not the band, but the Mastersons can bring everything else," Mary answered. "For us it's all we need." They got into the car after Castle and Beckett before she paused when she heard her wife's phone ringing. "Someone's here?" she said in surprise as it was the tone hooked up to the gate.

"They are," Skye said, looking startled herself. She opened the gate and then got out of the passenger seat to see who it was. As soon as she spotted the car there she smiled and said to her daughters, "Girls it's your grandda."

The two gasped and once they were out of the car they hurried to the one that pulled up and then stopped.

"Hullo everyone," Liam said with a smile as he stepped out. He hugged his granddaughters and said, "Missed me then?"

"A lot," Marie said first with a wide smile.

"How was it?" Kathleen then said.

"Good but I'd like to see your mum next, see how she is," Liam told them as they walked down the sidewalk.

"So, you heard," Skye said once he was close enough.

"I did," Liam replied, going to her and hugging her tightly. "You're all alright?"

"We are," Skye said simply, nodding her head and letting him go to greet her wife.

"Then I'm relieved; heard it on the news today," Liam said as he shook Beckett's hand before doing the same to Castle.

"Are you coming with us?" he asked the man.

"I am, I may need to take the girls back here to go to bed," Liam replied, smiling at his granddaughters when they both began to protest. "You have school tomorrow don't forget," he said to them.

"Do you want to go with him?" Mary asked the twins.

When they nodded Skye and Mary took them over to Liam's car and once he'd left they went back to their car with Castle and Beckett.

On the drive there Skye said, "We'll be the first to arrive, we need to drop off the instruments."

"What can we do?" Castle asked, leaning forward a little from the backseat where he was with Beckett.

"You can go to the garden," Mary said.

"Also see the art," Skye added. She could almost feel the shocked looks the two were giving her and she explained, "It's still open but it won't be when the party starts."

"We might have to do that," Castle said as he looked at his wife.

"Maybe," Beckett replied with a smile.

"Oh, would you mind taking our girls with you?" Mary then asked.

"Sure," Beckett said when Castle looked at her. "Would they want to go into the museum?"

"Definitely," Skye replied. "Been a bit since we were last in there." When they reached the parking structure and were out of the car she said, "Someone's going to meet us with a cart… there they are."

"Good afternoon," the man said. "You have some instruments?"

"We do," Mary replied. "We'll be the first ones in here though; the rest of the band is on their way."

"We'll wait for them," Skye said to Castle and Beckett. "Take the girls and my dad up?"

"I'll stay with you," Liam said quickly while Castle and Beckett were nodding their heads.

"We'll go," Castle said. He took Kathleen's hand while Marie went with his wife and they went together to the trolley.

"What are we gonna do up there?" Kathleen said when they were going up the hill.

"If we can we're going to try and look at the art a little bit," Beckett answered.

"Really? I thought they were gonna close it for the party," Marie said though she and her sister had both gasped in delight at the answer.

"Your mother said it might be open," Castle replied. "We'll see if she's right." When they got out at the station at the top he wasn't surprised to see Ralph, the coordinator from the night before was there. "They're coming up with the rest of the band," he answered since Skye and Mary would need to talk to the man that time. "Is the museum still open?"

"Afraid not," Ralph replied as he glanced back to the trolley going down. "You can see the gardens though."

When the man had left them to go to the station Castle turned to his wife and raised his eyebrow instead of voicing his question.

"Would you two like to go?" Beckett asked them.

"Sure," Marie said first, her twin nodded in agreement with her. "What about where you were last night?" she asked when they started to walk up the flight of stairs.

"We know what happened," Kathleen said, looking up at Castle and Beckett when the two abruptly stopped on the second step.

"Yeah, my friend's mom was watching the news," Marie said.

"And my friend's parents were looking at the paper; I saw it," Kathleen then said.

"Did you tell your mothers that?" Castle asked them as he and Beckett had recalled they knew about the night before already.

"Yep, they said what happened," Marie replied. She then sighed and said, "We didn't say anything after we saw our mummy's arm."

"That's 'cause we knew already," Kathleen added.

"Well I don't think we're going to show you where we were," Castle said after he and his wife had looked at one another.

"He's right, it's not like it's a tourist attraction," Beckett said when the two girls looked slightly disappointed.

"And really all you're going to see is burned out trees," Castle added.

"Did you want to see that?" Beckett asked Marie, startled seeing she looked interested.

"Well… Mummy told us it was jet fuel that was burning," the little girl said softly.

"She wants to be an investigator like Mummy," Kathleen told them as they continued up the steps.

"Let's stick with the gardens and we'll tell your mothers what you said," Castle said once they were walking through the courtyard.

The four went around the gardens together until Castle and Beckett judged that the band would be there and the twins' mothers would be at the terrace. But before they could go up to it they saw the two women coming down to them, the girls racing to them and talking at the same time.

"They want to see?" Skye asked in some shock once her daughters had finished speaking.

"It looks like it," Castle said first.

Looking at the two Skye finally nodded and said, "Alright, we'll take a quick peek if we can." When she saw that Castle and Beckett looked startled she said, "Like Marie said, she wants to be an investigator… she needs to know what it looks like. Come on sweetling."

Beckett watched as the little girl went straight to her mother without a word of protest for the endearment, Mary and Kathleen close behind. She looked at her husband and said, "Do you mind?"

"No," Castle said shortly, not surprised when she glanced at his left arm. He took her hand and they followed the family over to the road where the four were standing together and looking down at the hill.

When they could see it, Beckett could discern the path that Tyler's fire had taken the night before, the charred trees ominous against the greenery left of the ones that were untouched. "What exactly does this tell you?" she asked Skye.

"That the fire followed the path Tyler wanted," a voice said behind them. When they turned around to look at her Parra said, "I was here this morning to get evidence."

"No wonder this isn't closed off now," Mary said, glancing at her wife.

"Are you here for the party?" Skye finally got herself to say.

"I am, Detective Fernandez asked me to attend. Since she and Burke are here as well," Parra replied. She took a moment to speak again before she said, "Do you think I can speak to you?"

"Alright," Skye said slowly before she looked at her wife.

"Rick, take the twins through the gardens," Beckett said.

"W- okay," Castle said, about to ask why when she just looked at him. He followed her to the girls and took their hands, leading them back to the path to the garden.

"Mary, come on," Beckett said seriously, grabbing the woman's arm.

"She-" Mary began to say.

"Leave them alone," Beckett cut her off. "You trust your wife, don't you?"

At that Mary relaxed and finally nodded before she then followed Beckett to the path. At the small bridge, she made her stop and murmured, "I can hear them."

Not sure exactly if they should do that Beckett remained with Mary, wanting to keep a hold on the woman just in case as they listened in on the conversation between the two women.

"I… I'm not sure exactly how to say this," Parra began with as she and Skye were facing toward the hill. "You love your wife, don't you?"

"I do, very much," Skye said, turning to her. "Listen; through the case I could tell that you seem to have some kind of attraction towards me."

"You're an… amazing woman," Parra said honestly. "I've never met someone like you."

"Neither have I," Beckett murmured before she and Mary shared a look.

"Oh god, don't tell me you're attracted to my wife too," the woman said, keeping her voice down as well.

Beckett merely smiled; knowing Mary was aware of what she'd meant about Skye; before they turned their attention back to the investigator who was stammering out an apology.

"But I can also see that you love her so…" Parra said a little sadly. She then gave a brief smile saying, "And she's just as crazy about you."

"You'll find someone," Skye said as she didn't know what else she could really say to that.

"Probably not like you," Parra said. "I should go."

"No, you can stay for the party," Skye said. "Mary wouldn't mind."

"But I would," Parra said.

"Don't," Mary said, trying to get out of Beckett's grasp when she began to walk towards the woman who was heading their way. "Parra?" she said when she was near her.

"Are you going to gloat?" the woman asked uncertainly as she stopped in front of her.

"No," Mary said simply. "You could stay."

"I'm not really up to that," Parra replied. She glanced back at Skye who was walking towards Beckett who'd gone over to her and sucked in a deep breath of air. "She's stunning… you're incredibly lucky," she began before turning to Mary.

"I know but she's right; you might find someone who is as amazing in her own way," Skye's wife said. Mary watched the woman walk away and then went to her wife before Beckett left them alone, embracing Skye as tightly as she could as soon as she could.

"Please tell me everything's okay," Castle said to his wife once she had reached him and the twins. "That everyone's okay." He then looked at Parra as she walked by them and said, "That Skye's okay," once the woman was gone.

"She's fine and so is Mary," Beckett said to him. "They just needed to tell her that Skye wasn't interested."

Castle nodded and then looked behind her as Skye and Mary were walking down the path. "So… party?" he asked when the two women were close.

"We should," Mary said with a beaming smile. When the others looked at her she just went past them to the girls and herded them back up towards the terrace.

"Should we be terrified right now?" Castle commented as they watched the woman go.

"I think I need to be," Skye replied. "After all she's my wife."

" _Too much pride_ ," Beckett said teasingly to her in Russian.

Skye glanced at her out of the corner of her eye and smirked before she spoke rapidly in French and then walked away from them.

"Do you know what she said?" Castle asked.

"You're proud enough of your lover," Beckett answered seriously. She fought her smile when Castle's eyes widened at her and she said, "She's right."

Left alone on the path Castle coughed slightly before he hurried to follow her and they soon caught up with the McDouglases before they went up the last steps to the courtyard.

"Who… oh my god," Skye began to say when she saw how many people were gathered around the fountain there. "The club," she said before turning to her wife.

"This is or will soon be everyone in the club," Mary said, smiling lovingly at her wife. "Not just for you but for Pablo as well. Plus Obek and Harriet."

"Thank you," Skye said, hugging her tightly. When she pulled away she asked, "How?"

"Facebook?" Castle guessed.

"That," Mary said with a nod. "And it worked; I really didn't think it would but it did…"

"They want to honor our fellow club members' memories," Beckett said. When the women looked at her in surprise she said, "We should greet everyone."

"You know there's some kind of irony in this," Castle said as they watched Skye and Mary go off together first with their twins into the crowd first. "We are so much more than just the club here."

"We are," Beckett said with a nod. "Come on, I mean us too."

Castle smiled widely and he walked with her over to the people to the left of the McDouglases, talking to everyone they met and remembered from their flight.

Once everyone from the flight was there in the courtyard the party was sent to the terrace to allow the workers to set up tables and chairs. After they were allowed to go up to the tables they gathered around them and Skye soon stood up, holding her glass of wine.

When everyone was looking at her the investigator said, "Fellow members of the 13R Club, we're here tonight to gather together and to celebrate our survival on Flight 139. But we also need to honor the memories of our fellow members. Pablo Scott, Obek Phillips and Harriet Mulligan. To our fellow passengers, our friends."

Raising their glasses as well Castle and Beckett echoed Skye's last words before they tapped their glasses together.

When they were sitting together Beckett said to her friend, "That was a beautiful toast."

"I did the best I could," Skye replied, smiling slightly. "But thank you. Hopefully it conveyed what we're going to do after we eat."

"They'll love it Mummy," Kathleen said.

"Did anyone else go to the concerts… performances you had besides Pablo?" Castle asked the two women.

"Everyone from the safe house," Mary said first.

"And Phin," Skye added. "But I'll explain why we're performing before we start."

The girls then asked their mothers about their plans for San Diego the next day, Liam urging Castle and Beckett to contribute as well before they finished eating.

Watching as some of the party guests went down to the gardens Beckett said, "This has been nice so far."

"It has," Castle said as they'd remained on the terrace and were watching everyone. "When will he get here?"

"Soon, I texted him," Beckett replied. She then nudged him against his side as she saw that Skye and Mary were walking back to them with the band.

"Are we going to begin?" Castle asked hopefully.

"We are, everyone's starting to come back up," Skye said first.

"We're heading up to the instruments now," Raj said as they'd already set their things up once the tables were cleared.

Walking up to the courtyard Castle and Beckett were soon joined by the twins and Liam before everyone else gathered around them.

"Alright," Skye said with a smile to everyone. "I know some of you might wonder why we're here but Pablo was a fan of our band and at Wendy's request we're playing some of his favorite songs he loved seeing us perform." She was going to speak again when everyone applauded her. She smiled again, focusing down at her daughters as she could hear them specifically in front of her, before she said, "Then I suppose we should get started with Pablo's absolute favorite, _Fine Line_ by Paul McCartney."

Beckett was startled when Skye ran around to Raj's keyboards while the man went to the investigator's mic with a tambourine. She smiled when Skye played the intro and counted them in, the two setting off everyone else as the investigator started to sing.

 _There is a fine line  
Between recklessness and courage  
It's about time  
You understood which road to choose  
It's a fine line  
When your decision makes a difference  
Get it wrong, you'll be making a big mistake_

 _Come on brother  
All is forgiven  
We all cried when you were driven away  
Come on brother  
Everything is better  
Everything is better  
When you come home and stay_

The music slowed down and Castle glanced around them, glad to see that the other guests seemed to be enjoying it. He turned back to the band shortly after as Skye was singing once more.

 _Whatever's more important to you  
You've got to choose what you want to do  
Whatever's more important to be  
That's the view that you got to see_

 _There is a long way  
Between chaos and creation  
If you don't say  
Which one of these you're gonna choose  
It's a long way  
And in every contradiction  
Seems to say  
It's a game that you're bound to lose_

While they sang the chorus all together Beckett felt her husband nudging her side and she had to wonder what had gotten his attention. But she shook her head when the music changed again and focused her attention on the band.

 _Come on back, come on back  
Come on back to me_

Since there was an instrumental there Castle was tempted to talk to his wife about what he'd realized but he looked on while she spun Marie in front of them. He decided he'd tell her at a better opportunity before the little girl was going to him to be spun.

 _It's a fine line  
Whatever's more important to you  
You've got to choose what you want to do  
Whatever's more important to be  
Well, that's the view that you've got to see_

As the band sang the line, ' _it's a fine line_ ,' repeatedly Castle and Beckett led the applause before the song was even over.

"Thank you, we'll have our next song right now," Mary said. "We just need a second to rehydrate."

"I would suggest you all do as well," Barry added.

"Oh, before that I think I should introduce the band," Skye said after she'd taken a drink from her water bottle. "You know me of course and my wife Mary, our other guitarist here is Jackie Masterson." She was pleased when she had to stop there to let the applause for the woman die down and then spoke again. "And our keyboardist is Raj and our drummer is Barry; they're the Foxes."

After everyone had applauded Castle said to Beckett during their pause, "Want something to drink?"

"Are the tables back there?" she asked. When he nodded Beckett said, " _Then go and see what you can see_."

Castle gave his wife a quick nod and kissed her cheek before hurrying to the back of the courtyard. He got them some juice that was available and said to her when she came back, "I didn't see."

"Okay, we'll have to wait," Beckett sighed though she kissed his cheek as a thanks for the drinks. They watched the band go back to their places, a guitar over Skye's shoulder as she stood at her mic, and she waited with the others for her to introduce the next song.

"Alright, this is another favorite of Pablo's," Skye said, searching out Wendy. When she spotted her next to her father she smiled slightly and was relieved when the woman did so somewhat herself. "This one is from Ringo Starr; _It Don't Come Easy_."

Beckett smiled when the investigator looked startled at the applause she got and she looked at her husband as the band began the intro to the song. "Rick," she said, nudging him in the side when she saw that he was looking behind them again.

"Sorry," Castle said, an instant before the band sang the intro lyrics.

 _It don't come easy  
You know it don't come easy  
It don't come easy  
You know it don't come easy_

Barry played the drums as the rest of the band waited and once he was finished Skye stepped up to her mic and began to sing on her own.

 _Got to pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues  
And you know it don't come easy  
You don't have to shout or leap about  
You can even play them easy_

 _Forget about the past and all your troubles  
The future won't last, it will soon be over tomorrow_

 _I don't ask for much, I only want your trust  
And you know it don't come easy  
And this love of mine keeps growing all the time  
And you know it just ain't easy  
Open up your heart, let's come together  
Use a little love and we will make it work out better_

Beckett was helping Marie clapping at the instrumental break as she noticed the little girl couldn't keep the beat. When she giggled up at her she realized Marie had done that intentionally and playfully tugged her braid. She couldn't help the slight pain in her chest as she missed her daughters painfully before she felt her husband taking her hand.

Squeezing her gently Castle smiled briefly at Beckett as he'd been watching the two and could tell what his wife was thinking. When she smiled back he was relieved but couldn't really say anything as Skye was starting up with the chorus once again.

 _Got to pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues  
And you know it don't come easy  
You don't have to shout or leap about  
You can even play them easy_

 _Peace, remember peace is how we make it  
Here within your reach if you're big enough to take it_

 _I don't ask for much, I only want your trust  
And you know it don't come easy  
And this love of mine keeps growing all the time  
And you know it just ain't easy_

When the song had finished and there was applause Skye said, "Obek Phillips had come to a party where we'd performed before and when we'd take requests he asked for this one first. We'll perform it for you now and it's called _Learning to Fly_ from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers." She began to play her guitar before Barry played on his drums and the rest of the band joined them, also providing the vocals there.

 _Well I started out down a dirty road  
Started out all alone  
And the sun went down as I crossed the hill  
And the town lit up, the world got still_

 _I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings  
Coming down is the hardest thing_

Raj began to sing; surprising Castle and Beckett who'd expected Skye to sing the rest of the song considering the title. But as he started they glanced at each other, guessing they were going to divide the song between them as they'd done with the one they had performed earlier that afternoon.

 _Well the good ol' days may not return  
And the rocks might melt and the sea may burn_

The chorus began again but that time all of them started to sing, repeating some of the words that Raj was singing before they went into the instrumental.

"Mummy likes this song too," Kathleen said to Castle and Beckett quickly.

"She's doing a great job," Cast told her before they looked back as Raj began again.

 _Well some say life will beat you down  
Break your heart, steal your crown  
So I've started out, for God knows where  
I guess I'll know when I get there_

The remainder of the song involved the others of the band switching off the lyrics until they then played out.

"One more song?" Castle said, looking at Liam.

"Yes, but not for the night, they'll keep playing," the man said as his daughter and the others were drinking some water quickly.

"Harriet came to a few of our parties where we played," Skye said then once she was ready with a light blue Fender. "And there was one song she always wanted to hear. This one is from the great Roy Orbison, _You Got It_." She smiled at the cheers along with the applauding saying to her wife, "They like it."

"Of course," Mary said before she waited for her to begin with the opening chords so Raj could sing while the rest of them provided his backup.

 _Every time I look into your glowing eyes  
I see a love that money just can't buy  
One look from you I drift away  
Afraid that you are here to stay_

 _Anything you want, you got it  
Anything you need, you got it  
Anything at all, you got it, baby_

Before the next verse started Castle wrapped his arm around his wife and held her close, beginning to make them sway back and forth as she looked up at him laughing slightly. He didn't want to stop but he slowed down so they could listen, keeping his hold on her as the lyrics resonated with him.

 _Every time I hold you I begin to understand  
Everything about you tells me I'm your man  
I live my life to be with you  
No one can do the things you do_

 _Anything you want, you got it  
Anything you need, you got it  
Anything at all, baby_

The music seemed to descend and Beckett applauded with the rest of the guests for the band's performance of that before all five of them began to sing together.

 _Anything you want, you got it  
Anything you need, you got it  
Anything at all_

At another instrumental the band began to sing harmonies while Skye was taking the more pronounced vocals but by the time they stopped Barry was singing the lead once more.

 _I'm glad to give my love to you  
I know you feel the way I do_

 _Anything you want, you got it  
Anything you need, you got it  
Anything at all, you got it, baby_

 _Anything you want, you got it  
Anything you need, you got it  
Anything at all, you got it, baby_

 _Anything at all, you got it, baby  
You got it_

Since the guests were already applauding at the way Barry held the word baby it was nearly impossible for them to hear the whole band singing the last line together. After Skye thanked them for that she called for a short break before they then left the 'stage' and she and Mary went to their daughters to hug them tightly.

"That was great," Beckett said when the woman turned to her. "How long are you going to take a break?"

"Not too long," Skye replied. "Just refresh ourselves more than just water. They still have the juice, right?"

"They do," Castle replied before they then walked together to the table at the back.

"Good performance," a voice said suddenly as they were drinking the cups of pineapple juice in a cluster.

Skye's cup; that had been about to press to her lips; froze as she knew the voice immediately and she turned to see that she wasn't hallucinating. "Sir," she said immediately.

"Paul, you made it," Beckett said with a wide smile at the sound of his voice. She went over to him with Castle once they'd set their cups down and shook his hand and Nancy's warmly before they noticed two more people behind them.

"Hope you don't mind," Paul said with a smile. "Told Ringo what I'd heard about your band here and he and Barbara wanted to come."

"That's fine," Skye said, stunned but luckily able to regain her balance to shake the drummer's hand and his wife's.

"So I guess I should introduce everyone," Castle began, looking at his wife. "I'm-"

"We know you two," Barbara Bach interrupted with a smile. "We've read your books."

"Oh… then I guess we should introduce you to them," Castle said. "That's Skye… Rose McDouglas?"

"Skye's my nickname," the investigator said with a smile as she shook the woman's hand. "This is my wife Mary, our girls Marie and Kathleen and my dad Liam Hayden."

After they'd shaken hands Marie blurted out, "Are you gonna play too?"

"They're just here…" Mary started to say before she trailed off.

"To listen," Skye finished quickly. "I'm really glad that you're enjoying it so far… I hope you don't mind us using your songs."

"We don't," Paul said. "You belong to the same group that I do." When he saw confused looks all around he smiled and said, "The Irish group."

"Oh… really?" Castle said, looking startled.

"Yes, better diplomacy than those Troubles," Ringo added.

"Then would you want to make a request at all?" Skye asked slowly.

"Introduce me and Ringo before we perform with you," Paul said. "Introduce us to your band first and then of course your guests here."

"Are you aware of why they're all here?" Liam asked as his daughter left them.

"We're aware, Kate here let me know and I passed along the message to Ringo," Paul answered. He looked ahead of them and saw that Skye was returning and asked, "Are you ready for us?"

"They're eager to meet you," Skye said with a smile. "Follow us," she said. When she glanced behind her while she was walking to the instruments she had to smile at the fact that everyone was following her; not just the two singers.

"We'll introduce everyone here to you," Mary said. "Our third guitarist is Jackie Masterson."

"Our keyboardist is Raj and his husband, Barry, is the drummer and they're the Foxes," Skye continued as they were shaking the two singers' hands.

"She said you're going to join us?" Barry asked.

"Just one, we don't want to interrupt your performance when you're doing so well," Ringo replied.

"What will you sing?" Jackie asked.

"Oh no," Paul said, shaking his head. "She'll be singing… depending on the song."

"But…" Skye started to say since he'd been motioning to her. "Okay, will you sing at all?"

"What song?" Paul replied.

"I'm feeling the same as she looks right now," Castle murmured to his wife to Skye's stunned look at speaking to the singer.

"Me too," Beckett replied before the investigator was answering.

" _Jet_ ," Skye finally was able to say.

"Good one," Ringo said, taking the drumsticks that Barry handed to him. "You've done a great job," he told the man. "So this is just temporary."

"Of course," Barry replied, nodding his head and in obvious awe of the drummer.

Going back to where they'd stood before Beckett was smiling at the way Skye introduced the two men but she could tell that the other guests had noticed them already. While Paul started the music to the song Skye was soon with him, joined by Jackie as Mary was standing with them in front of the band. With everyone playing the five began to chant, " _Jet_ ," together until Skye was beginning to sing.

 _I can almost remember your funny faces  
That time you told them you were going to marrying soon  
And Jet I thought the only lonely place was on the moon_

The three at the front chanted the name Jet twice before Skye moved on to the next verse, trying not to smile as her daughters were dancing together just in front of Mary.

Beckett was watching, smiling herself as the doctor blew a kiss to her wife. She glanced at Castle quickly out of the corner of her eye, seeing him watching, before they turned their focus to the investigator.

 _Jet was your father as bold as a sergeant major  
How come he told you that you were hardly old enough yet?  
And Jet I thought the major was a lady suffragette_

 _Ah mater want Jet to always love me  
Ah mater want Jet to always love me  
Ah mater much later_

With a call of " _Jet_!" the instrumental break began and Castle whispered to his wife, "Good thing you're recording this."

"I had to," Beckett replied.

"We need to take our picture with Ringo," Castle told her.

"Agreed," Beckett answered with a smile.

 _And Jet I thought the major was a lady suffragette_

 _Ah mater want Jet to always love me  
Ah mater want Jet to always love me  
Ah mater much later_

There was a bit of a break there though it wasn't too long, Paul vocalizing as he had during the recording of the song before he let Skye sing again.

 _Jet with the wind in your hair  
Of a thousand laces  
Climb on the back and we'll go for a wide in the sky  
And Jet I thought the major was a little lady suffragette_

 _And Jet you know I thought you was a little lady suffragette_

With the applause and whistles for that Paul spoke into what had been Mary's mic, "Enjoy the rest of your night, you have a great band here for you!"

"Enjoy and goodnight everybody!" Ringo added then in Barry's mic.

"Thank you so much Paul, Ringo," Skye said as she, Jackie and Raj waited for the rest of their band to rejoin them. "Alright, we're going to perform another favorite of Pablo's for him tonight. A little song called _This Song_ from George Harrison." And after she'd counted everyone in they began to play, Paul and Ringo seeming to have energized her and the band for the night.


	29. All The Vast Intricacies Of Life (Pt 2)

"How's your throat?" Beckett was asking Skye as they stood at their cars in the parking lot, the last ones to leave after the party was over.

"Considering how long I sang surprisingly well," the investigator replied with a smile. She glanced over at Castle and Mary who were walking over to them and said, "Miss the girls already."

"They do have school," Beckett replied.

"I know, but I'm glad they got to meet Paul and Ringo," Skye said.

"What?" Beckett asked when her friend suddenly stared at her. She gasped in her surprise when Skye suddenly embraced her and she then smiled before hugging her back.

"Thank you, I know it was you and Rick who managed this," Skye told her.

"You're welcome," Beckett replied, not surprised her friend had figured that out. When they parted she said, "I needed him to meet you since I knew how you could sing."

Skye could feel her cheeks flushing and she then said, "I wasn't expecting him to want to call on us in the future… possibly."

"I think he will," Castle said as he and Mary walked over to them. "He was impressed by you; he even said."

"Well he did say in the future so we'll just remember that," Mary said. "We'll meet you there," she said to two before she and her wife got into their car.

"Meet them where?" Beckett asked, turning to her husband.

"You'll see," Castle replied.

Beckett looked at him once they were in the car and she said, "We're not heading to San Diego now are we?"

"No," Castle replied, a smile on his face at her thinking that. He didn't say anything else, merely drove after Skye's car until they had reached the hotel that he and Beckett had stayed in before. "Surprise," he said after they were out of the car to let the valet park it.

"I should have known," Beckett replied, leaning over and kissing his cheek. "Thank you but what about our things and the car that was supposed to go back today?"

"They'll pick it up tomorrow and Skye and Mary will pick us up too," Castle answered. "They're here now for a nightcap before they head back to their house." He then realized that his wife was just staring at him and he asked, "What?"

"Let's go inside," Beckett said simply before they walked over to the hotel, going into the lobby. "Did he tell you about this?" she asked Skye and Mary as she stood with them while her husband checked in.

"He did but more to round off the night since he knew we were going to perform," Mary began.

"Actually, it sounds more like he knew we'd be meeting Paul," Skye began. "Ringo?" she then asked.

"No just Paul, we had no idea he'd bring Ringo," Castle said, coming back over to them. "The room's ready."

"Rick, you never answered about our things," Beckett told him as they went over to the elevator.

"They're here, Jackie came and picked up your luggage since it was already packed," Skye answered. "Hopefully it's alright."

"We trust her," Castle said quickly, looking at his wife to see her response.

"He's right, since you do," Beckett finished as she knew they were wondering about her reaction. They reached their floor and she said, "It won't be too hard to get to us and then to San Diego tomorrow, will it?"

"Oh no," Mary said. "We just hop onto the PCH right here and take it down to Dana Point. From there it's the 5 until we reach San Diego."

"I should have realized you would have said something," Beckett replied with a smile.

"They said the view will be great," Castle told her as he was unlocking their room. "See? Here are our things," he told her as he pointed out their suitcases. "We don't need to unpack at all," he said before he froze as they were walking to the couch and seats.

"We assumed," Skye said, smiling at Beckett whose cheeks were a bit flushed. "So you two should kick us out soon."

"After our drinks, what would you like?" Castle asked them as he went to the phone to dial room service.

"Cocoa for me," Beckett said.

"I'm driving us home," Skye said next. "So I'll have the same."

"Me too," Mary replied.

"Okay, cocoa all around," Castle replied before he dialed on the phone.

"Did Rick ask you to bring that?" Beckett asked as she nodded to the guitar case her friend had set down.

"He wants one more song… bit odd about his request for what that song should be but maybe you know why," Skye said, appearing a little confused as did her wife.

"I won't know until you sing it," Beckett replied, wondering what Castle had up his sleeve.

"Okay, so we're all ready," Castle said, clapping his hands as he walked over to them. He saw the three women were looking at him and he asked, "What?"

"Nothing," Beckett said, trying her best not to smile.

"Would you like me to sing now or once we get our drinks?" Skye asked him.

"After," Castle said quickly. "Better for you to have something to drink first right?"

"Most likely," Skye said with a smile as they moved to sit. She and her wife sat together on the love seat next to the couch and she said, "How were you able to get the room today?"

"When I got it the night before I asked about tonight and they said it was open," Castle replied. "It's why I was saying I should have gotten it the other night… and last night," he directed to his wife.

"Did someone else have it then?" Beckett asked.

"No, but I knew you wanted to stay at their place again," Castle replied, nodding to the two women.

"You're right," Beckett replied. "So tomorrow."

"It'll take a little over two hours to get there," Skye said with a smile; as she'd been expecting that to come up. "And I hope to leave at eight and don't have breakfast… coffee or tea if you must but nothing to eat."

"Okay," Beckett said slightly uneasily.

"We don't mind," Mary said, knowing why the two were sharing a look at that moment.

"She's right, we don't often get the chance to entertain," Skye added before there was a knock on the door. She watched with the other two as Castle got up and hurried over to answer it, getting their drinks and tipping the man who'd brought them. She took a few sips and said, "Before I get to the song, back to tomorrow. When we get to the city we can go straight to our hotel and after checking in take the trolley to Old Town if you'd like to go first."

"I'm good with that," Castle said. "Lunch sitting outside in autumn sounds awesome. Especially Mexican there."

"I agree," Beckett said, unable to keep the laughter out of her voice at her husband's enthusiasm. "And after we go around?"

"Back to Seaport Village or swim or rest," Mary said. "We're not doing anything on a fixed schedule; if you want to do anything different just say."

"I think Seaport Village," Beckett commented.

"Okay," Skye replied. "Your signing is at five at Horton Plaza?" When the two nodded she said, "We can eat in the Gaslamp Quarter which is right next to it. That's our first day."

"What about the next two days?" Castle asked.

"The one party you had was the last day, right?" Skye asked. When they nodded she said, "Then I suppose it makes obvious sense to just go to the zoo the second day."

"Oh, we did want to go to Point Loma," Castle said.

"We can go for lunch on the third day," Skye said. "Since you have a signing and party that day, I figured it'd be best to leave plans open then."

"I have an idea," Beckett said. "Biking through Mission Bay."

"Oh, you remember us telling you about that," Skye replied. "We can do that."

"Great except the party isn't dinner," Castle told them.

With a nod Skye thought for a moment before she glanced at her wife and said, "We might have to have a think on that," Mary nodding in agreement with her. "Okay, now I think I can go ahead and sing a bit."

"Just one song," Castle replied. "That's all I wanted."

"Okay," Beckett said in amusement. "Are you sure?"

"Very, she's sung a lot for us tonight," Castle said. He then turned his head quickly to Mary and said, "Unless you're joining in."

"No, just her," the woman said easily, smiling at them.

While they'd been talking Skye had gotten her acoustic guitar out, placing it on her shoulder. She played a few chords to check it was in tune as she hadn't used it that day and then began to play the slow intro while the other three were watching before she started to sing.

 _Speed along the highway, honey I want it my way  
But listen to her daddy's song, don't stay out too long  
We're just busy hidin', sitting in the backseat of my car_

 _Looking for a ride and all about  
Looking for a ride in and out of town  
Strolling around and all about  
Looking for a ride in and out of_

 _The lazy lights are pretty  
We may end up in Mexico City  
But listen to her daddy's song  
Making love is wrong  
Oooh, we're just busy riding  
Sitting in the backseat of my car_

 _For we was only hiding  
Sitting in the backseat of my car, yeah  
And when we finished driving  
We can say we were late in arriving  
And listen to her daddy's song  
We believe that we can't be wrong_

When Skye had finished singing mostly the same line that was last in the verse she stopped and smiled as the three applauded for her. "So, what's the reason? Because if you did drive to Mexico City you'd be on the road for over thirty two hours from there." She laughed when Castle and Beckett looked at her; obviously startled at the number; and she nodded to Mary.

"Even though Paul says it's just fanciful we wondered so I looked it up," the woman said. "Not a drive I'd want to do all at once."

"Have you been there?" Castle asked.

"I have," Skye said slowly.

"An investigation?" Beckett guessed.

With a nod Skye said, "I was asked down there for the 2008 crash by the manufacturer, Learjet, as it wasn't the first time I've investigated an accident with their planes. But that was… a tough case."

"Where did it crash?" Castle asked.

"In the city," Skye said simply. When she saw the startled expressions on the couple's faces she said, "We went through… a number of theories including sabotage by drug cartels because two members of the Mexican government were on that plane and they were killed."

"Who?" Beckett asked, trying to recall the accident but she wasn't sure if she'd heard of it.

"One was the Secretary of the Interior, Juan Camilo Mouriño; also top aide to the president at the time as well as the man in charge of the fight against the drug trade in the country so it was high profile of course. And the other was the former assistant attorney general," Skye said. "José Luis Santiago Vasconcelos whose new title was federal technical secretariat."

"What was he going to do?" Beckett asked.

"There were some reforms made for criminal justice as well as public security and his position was to implement them," Skye explained. "So there was pressure of course but we found out the pilots didn't really have much experience with that Learjet make and their paperwork with their training was… questionable. What brought the plane down was they followed far too close to a 767 ahead of them and entered some wake turbulence and were never able to recover after that."

"That's horrible," Castle said when they were all silent for a moment.

"It was, but luckily we found what we needed," Skye said with a heavy sigh at the end.

Reaching for her wife's hand, Mary squeezed it tightly and then said, "We've also been to Ensenada since we're north of it," smiling a little at her.

"True," Skye said, shaking herself and then smiling at the memory of that trip. "We went to see _La Bufadora_ with the girls."

"Is that it?" Beckett asked, pretending to be disappointed as her friend was getting up to put away her guitar. She wanted to ask if Skye had ever been back to the capital city but had a feeling she knew the answer already so she kept quiet about that.

"Quite tired if you don't mind," Skye said before shooting a smile over her shoulder at her.

" _Liar_ ," Beckett said in amusement, speaking in Russian.

"Well if you must know we're eager to get to bed," Skye replied. When her wife looked at her she said, "As you are, so we'll leave you to it."

"You know I'm still amazed how eager Paul was looking over your guitars," Castle commented as they watched her close the case.

"He's likely a connoisseur of them," Mary said.

"And he wanted to see what we had," Skye said while Castle and Beckett were standing up.

"He seemed pleased with your Hofner," Beckett pointed out.

"I think so but more because I knew how to play it too," Skye replied as the singer had had her play a few chords after he'd seen it among her other guitars.

"And it looked like he was impressed with your playing," Castle pointed out again as they walked to the door together.

Shaking her head though she was smiling Skye said, "I always practice."

"Oh, don't be so modest _grá_ ," Mary said to her wife though she was smiling at her.

"Don't be either; it wasn't just me he wants to play with him," Skye said.

"But you might be the only one doing background vocals with him," Castle then pointed out.

Thinking about that for a moment Skye finally nodded before she said, "Alright, I suppose that would happen but hopefully he'll want the whole band."

"Imagine our name in an album," Mary told her wife.

"You're not going to change it, are you?" Beckett asked.

"Oh no, we're not exactly a serious band, just there for fun," Skye replied.

"So, if a record company wanted to sign you on…?" Castle asked.

"We'd say no," Skye said, Mary nodding next to her. "We're all just doing this for fun as I said. And we talked about that as a what if scenario so we already decided that we're not going to become famous."

"Well…" Castle said slowly, exchanging a look with his wife. "You already are so I don't think you need to worry about that."

Skye rolled her eyes and then said, "How's your arm."

"Subtle," Mary commented. When her wife looked at her she said with a shrug, "Changing the subject I mean."

"It's fine," Castle said.

"What about you?" Beckett asked.

Looking down at her bandage that was slightly visible at her wrist under her blouse Skye said, "It's fine, I've been taking care of it."

"I've been making sure that he's doing the same too," Beckett said before her husband could speak, laughing with the others as he nodded.

The four then said goodnight to each other, Beckett hugging both women as they thanked her again for meeting Paul. They did the same to Castle and then walked with them to the door as the two watched the women leave after they promised to be ready for them the next morning. He shut the door after he was sure the do not disturb sign was there when his wife blocked him from moving. He then stared into her eyes until he knew he would have to speak but soon realized a way he could do that as she wondered if he was going to say anything to her unspoken question.

"You suggested we should try out pretending it was our first time," Castle said simply.

"I had a feeling," Beckett said, moving to go over to the couch. She wasn't surprised when he followed her and said, "But I don't really mind."

"Are you going to tell them at all?" Castle replied once he was sitting next to her.

"I don't think so," Beckett said. "So…" she said after they'd been quiet for a while.

"Yes," Castle said quickly. He took a deep breath and said, "Why don't I start?"

"Sure," Beckett replied, a little startled that he felt awkward as well. She looked on then while he set his hand on her knee and said, "Will this be the same-"

"No," Castle interrupted, knowing what she meant to ask. "If it's anything like yours tell me."

"Just make me come Rick," Beckett said. She wasn't surprised when he leaned over to her and kissed her deeply which made her start to throw her arms around his neck before he stopped her. "Old habits," she said with a smirk since he'd been the one to initiate that.

"Yes, but that's not what I would have done if we were virgins that first time," Castle replied. "Well, that first time and if we'd just gone to dinner."

"Okay," Beckett said, realizing she could use that to play with. "So, we've just gotten back and then what?"

Castle knew what she was doing with that question so he leaned down to her and very gently brushed his lips to hers. "Alright?" he said when he pulled away soon after.

"Yeah," Beckett said, not surprised at the shock his gentle touch had given her. When he leaned into her once more she was quick to respond to him and they were soon not parting for very long before they were meeting again. She couldn't stop herself from wrapping her arms around his neck and was relieved when he didn't stop her that time. When he pressed his forehead to hers she smiled and then said, "Never felt that way before," relieved that she could be honest telling her husband that. Since it was true that his kissing her was very different from past boyfriends she wanted to repeat it when her husband was taking her lips again. She decided they didn't need to talk for a while; as he was becoming a little more passionate; and she held onto him tighter to respond to him as they went into numerous kisses after that first one yet again.

Letting go of her Castle said, "Can I?" motioning to her hair. When she nodded he tried not to be too eager with her hair, undoing the bun she had it up in after he'd handed her her mother's comb. Once it was loose he watched her locks tumble past her shoulders, a little breathless at the same time before she turned around to him.

"Okay?" Beckett asked when she saw it looked like her husband had frozen.

"I… yes, sorry," Castle replied. They looked at each other for a while before he said, "Could I touch you?"

"Sure," Beckett said. She cried out a little in her surprise when her husband suddenly grabbed her, pulling her onto his lap before his lips crushed hers. As she hurried to respond to him she wondered if they'd finished with trying to play with it being their first time. But when he gripped her almost tightly she decided it didn't really matter.

Swearing once they'd pulled away Castle apologized saying, "I shouldn't have-"

"It doesn't matter," Beckett interrupted him. "I think we abandoned things when you took down my hair."

"What, I should have ripped it off?" Castle asked as he watched her slide off his lap. When she just looked back at him he said, "So if we'd been together; our first times; what would have happened to that bun?"

"Loosened but likely forgotten," Beckett replied. "Which means the pins would have been digging into my head."

"Ouch," Castle said. He watched her consider the mug on the coffee table and asked, "Do you want another drink?"

"No, just checking that we don't have any left," Beckett replied easily before she stood up and walked over to the bedroom where he'd stayed in previously.

Castle walked after her calmly and when she turned to him after he'd closed the door he said, "You thought that would work didn't you?"

"I'd been hoping," Beckett said, fighting a smile at his tone. "I'm getting predictable."

"You're not," Castle replied. "Trust me; do something to me in San Diego and I'll show you that you're not." He looked thoughtful for a moment before he then said, "Maybe take off your bikini at the pool."

"Not going to happen," Beckett said wryly before she reached around him for the doorknob to open it. "I'm not across the room," she told him when she saw he looked startled.

"Did you want to switch again?" Castle replied.

"No, it took too much effort the other night," Beckett said simply. She sat on the edge of the bed then and with a smile said, "I've thought about it and I'd like to stay here."

"But?" Castle asked as he knelt in front of her. "It's fine," he said when he saw the slightly concerned expression on her face.

"Not a but, a reason why," Beckett corrected him, her voice catching a bit when her husband slipped off her heel and ran his hand under her foot gently as he knew she liked it. She leaned down and whispered into his ear as he was beginning on her other heel, " _Sampla_."

Shuddering roughly Castle said, "Any reason for the Irish?" as he looked at her.

"No, it's not really that far from the word sampler," Beckett said as he moved to sit with her once her shoes were on the floor. "I-"

"I thought you hated that word?" Castle asked. When his wife simply smirked at him and got up he groaned, falling back on the bed. "Told you you're not predictable."

"I don't think that's me being predictable, that's more me teasing you," Beckett pointed out, turning to look at him.

"Whatever it is, it's still enjoyable," Castle replied. He had been looking up at the ceiling but when he felt the bed move next to him he turned his head to find his wife getting up on the mattress next to him, sitting on her knees, which spurred him to quickly move himself.

Beckett was ready for her husband as he grabbed her and pulled her to him, able to wrap her arms around his neck as his lips crushed her own. She could feel from his grasp of her that he was struggling with himself; as he'd done earlier on the couch; and when they stopped she said to him, slightly panting, "Do you just want to start?"

"I'm debating between that and taking it just a little bit slower," Castle said honestly. Looking at her he breathed out and said, "I really thought I'd be okay after last night." He ran his hands down her arms as a distraction and then said, "The word addiction comes to mind…"

Leaning over Beckett kissed him on the lips, brushing against them, before she pulled away and said, "It does but I think that decided it for the two of us."

"Oh?" Castle asked before she was suddenly moving to embrace him again. When he found himself on his back he smiled and said, "Or you decided."

"Or I did," Beckett echoed before they were kissing again. She was startled; but a little proud; of the fact that her husband was able to follow her in a slightly less strenuous kiss that time. Eventually pulling away she said to him, "Help me."

"With what?" Castle asked before she was tugging on the sides of his jacket. He took over for her and said, "I thought you were going to take things a little more slowly," as she moved to his tie.

"This is slowly," Beckett told him firmly. She kissed him then to stop him from saying anything and once his jacket was out of the way she turned around. "Just don't-" she started to say.

"I know, you should trust me," Castle told her after he'd unzipped her dress.

Feeling that her husband had stopped at the halfway point Beckett looked over her shoulder at him and said, "I do, you're not finished."

Startled Castle was quick to reach up to finish unzipping her and his mouth dropped open for a moment as she pulled down her dress to her waist. He tried to keep his eyes on her face as she turned around to look at him and said, "Thank you."

"Do you need some water?" Beckett asked, unable to keep the amusement out of her voice as his had sounded hoarse.

"No," Castle said, trying to tear his gaze away from her breasts. He seemed to shake himself then and said more firmly, "No."

Beckett was shocked when her husband suddenly threw himself at her and she fell on her back a second before he was kissing at her neck. Though he hadn't said a word she knew immediately what he was going to do with that and she tried to speak but when she opened her mouth her moans were leaving it instead. She held onto him tightly as he began to descend and she could have sworn her body was burning up when he reached her breasts. "You-" she started to say when he'd suddenly pulled away.

"We're not ready yet," Castle replied, not surprised at her protest. When she'd sat up at his direction he helped her off the bed and assisted her with her dress. "You're wearing this in San Diego?" he asked as he held it.

"Yes," Beckett said, smiling slightly when he moved to put the dress carefully on top of a dresser. When he walked back to her she stopped him from reaching for her panties before she then began to unbutton his shirt as he looked on.

When they had fully undressed each other, Castle helped her back onto the bed and kissed her deeply until he slowly pulled back. He'd been about to ask her if she wanted to change the position but he knew if she had any protest she would have said. So, with her unspoken approval he started over again, kissing at her neck as she arched her head back. He tried not to go a little crazy at the motion she made doing that and he finally moved back until he was looking down at her. He wasn't surprised when she pulled him down to her immediately and he leaned down again, that time to kiss her. He grunted slightly when he could feel her leg wrapping around him which brought them closer together. When he pulled away he was struggling with some indecision, not sure what exactly he should do next.

Beckett, seeming to read her husband's mind, quickly moved her other leg so she could press her foot flat against the side of his leg. "Help me…" she told him then to get him to move. Luckily, he understood her quickly and she did her best to help him enter her though there wasn't much she could do. When he proceeded to slide within her she closed her eyes tightly and gave a little cry once they were coupled tightly. "You…" she tried to say but she couldn't stop herself from trailing off that time.

"I know," Castle said. "It… if you're asking when it didn't start until we were alone."

Though she wanted to speak to that Beckett could only nod and she did so before her husband was making the first thrust. She was startled when he seemed to be hesitant with it and was going to ask what was wrong when he began to thrust in earnest. She was relieved he knew what she wanted and she held onto the back of his head as he descended against to her neck as he started to fuck her. The rough sensation of him sucking against the skin of her pulse made her shudder and added to what she was feeling already where he was moving within her. She pushed on his shoulders until he was looking down at her and told him, "It was t-too much."

Castle took her lips and kissed her as hard as he could, feeling his wife crying out heavily in pleasure before she was responding to him and holding onto the back of his neck and head tightly. He plunged his tongue into her mouth as soon as he could do so and he felt a thrill when she started to fight playfully against him. He had no idea when exactly they started to just roll and rub against each other, only feeling the throb of both his body and his tongue from the taste of her. He wanted to spend far longer than he did there but finally had to admit that he needed to breathe so he moved back. " _I adore you_ Kate," he said to her breathlessly.

" _I… I feel the same about you_ ," Beckett said, as breathless as he was. She caressed his hair before she started to scrape his scalp with her nails, feeling in the way her husband's rhythm kept getting interrupted that he was fighting the pleasure that provided him. She wanted to remind him she had wanted them to try and put as many positions into that bout as they could when her husband suddenly moved away from her. There was a literal ache deep within her as she felt empty and she let him help her sit up. For a moment, she was startled when he bent his head but that was soon lost as he was going to her breasts. "I think you need me like this," she told him, lying back on her pillow.

"Hold on," Castle replied as he then reached for more pillows. He tucked them behind her before he kissed her so he wouldn't be just racing down to her chest. He was slightly startled when she pushed him away and looking at her he saw that she was biting her lower lip. He couldn't help himself, leaning down and taking her lip with his own teeth, before he nibbled at it as gently as he could. "What do you want me to do?" he asked her when he forced himself to stop them.

"What you were going to do," Beckett told him simply.

Castle smiled and then bowed his head, brushing his lips over her breasts tenderly. When she cupped the back of his head as her back arched he couldn't wait anymore, and took her right nipple into his mouth. Laving it first with his tongue he groaned heavily as she cried out above him and then proceeded to suckle at it. The way her body seemed to contort under his own he was tempted to begin to make love to her once more. But he wanted to stick to his plan that time and instead moved over both her breasts, stimulating them at the same time using his hand as well. Finally, he moved down lower, brushing his lips over her abdomen until he reached her mound and paused for a moment before moving again.

Her back arching once more when she felt her husband's lips peppering her skin Beckett reached down to him to touch him. But before she could do that he was moving further and she let out what nearly became a scream as her husband was rolling his tongue along her clit. With the instant shock at the touch she was surprised she wasn't climaxing right that second. Castle seemed to think the same as she realized he had moved away and she felt herself trembling as he kissed the point where her legs met her torso. That area had always been sensitive for her and he had been the one to discover it, though he didn't always go to it which had been to her disappointment. She hoped he wouldn't stop as he went over to her right side and she was raking her nails over his scalp again. She then realized he was likely struggling with his desire and made herself remember to pay him back as he went back to in between her legs.

Gently Castle proceeded to kiss at her folds, feeling how wet she was there before he carefully slipped his tongue within her. He groaned as she cried out and he made sure to bring his hand up to start rubbing at her clit. He had every intention to bring her fully to completion but as he could feel her beginning to move around more erratically he was going to pause for a moment to draw it out when she was grabbing him and hauling him up so they were face to face. "Kate-" was all he had time to say before she was kissing him hard. He was surprised it wasn't painful as their lips were crushed together but forgot that when she soon pulled away.

Beckett kept her eyes on her husband for as long as she could until she was at his erection, lying against his stomach again as it had been when she'd undressed him. Before he could have a chance to realize what she was going to do, she hoped, she moved her chest up enough to press his length between her breasts when he seemed to erupt into motion.

"Don't," Castle said, holding her hard by her shoulders as soon as he'd grabbed her. "I told you Kate you don't need to do that. I don't want you to."

Though she wanted to ask if he was really sure, Beckett couldn't deny she was relieved he still thought that way. She instead she made him lay down and leaned down to start kissing his member very gently. She went down him fully and once she had raised her head she was lowering it, that time around him. The thought of how much she would be able to work on him passed through her mind but she soon pushed it aside to concentrate on what she was doing. Why the idea that came to her chose that moment to do so she had no clue but didn't try to fight it or let herself forget it. She moved so she was sitting up and he scrambled to follow to her amusement. "Ready?" she asked.

"Yeah," Castle said, nodding his head rapidly as he realized what they'd forgotten. He held his wife by gripping her hips and then guiding her until they were coupled once more. Groaning at the sensation of how tight and damp with her arousal she was he held onto her tightly before she started to move. He was relieved when she was moving rapidly and as soon as he could he moved with her a little frantically. When she kissed him, he was ready for her though he couldn't stop groaning in pleasure at the sensation of her surrounding him again. The friction they were making together was as strong as it had been before they'd moved and the sudden realization of that word made him do so.

Though it took her by surprise Beckett didn't react vocally as her husband pulled away from her again. When he laid her on her side she was automatically raising her leg for him before he held it up and then slid in her once more from behind. A breath of relief escaped her lips as he was moving again and she reached back to him with her left hand to press on the back of his head. When he began to kiss and then suck at her neck she was crying out his name, the pleasure laden tone of her voice just reaching her. Before she could get too used to the position though he was suddenly moving them around again and she went with his touch until she was on her back. "Oh god… you're going to push… me too hard," she somehow managed to get out when he placed both her legs over his shoulders. She draped them so he could get a little closer to her and as he began to thrust with his legs lunging against her she was crying out, unable to stop herself as the sensation was too much.

With his wife's reaction Castle knew he didn't really have much time to linger in the position; one of the reasons why they didn't use it or used the one where her legs were pressed against her chest; and lost his rhythm as he was trying to go as fast as he could. He was panting for air as he moved to the side of the bed and let her decide what she wanted to do there but he focused his attention on her again.

"We've been doing this for a while," Beckett said as she straddled him on her knees. She wasn't moving, just resting for a moment as he caressed her back and she did the same to the back of his head and neck. "So if you're worried we just fucked and that's it you're a little wrong."

"Okay," Castle said quickly. "You can move," he then told her.

Beckett couldn't help smiling before she leaned down and they were quickly kissing once more. It was very deep and she let it linger for as much as she dared before slowly pulling away. And she began to move at the same pace, slowly, before she proceeded to work up to the rapid one they were at before. She soon found herself losing her ability to keep herself steady in that and finally her husband took over, moving her by her hips hard before they kissed again.

When Castle could feel from the way her sex was literally shaking around him she was close he then moved them back fully on the bed. She was on her back and as she wrapped her legs around him he was thrusting a little crazily telling her, " _I love you_ Kate, _I can feel you so close… Come for me now and I'll fuck you just like this until you scream. Come now love, now_!"

As the last of his words were said through nearly clenched teeth Beckett couldn't take it anymore and her back was arching roughly. She was crying out her husband's name as loudly as she could while he was trying to get even deeper in her than he already was. Her nails were literally digging into his shoulders as she was trying to withstand the ecstasy that was seeking out every last inch of her body. A short time later Castle was joining her and the sound of his pleasure was nearly enough to push her over the edge again. She could hear the way their hips were slapping together, dissonant as they had lost the rhythm they'd had, but she didn't mind as she was just enjoying the way he felt still moving in her as she stopped. His last few thrusts were hard and she sighed when he stopped his movement and she murmured, "Thank you."

"Thank me? I should be thanking you," Castle replied when he felt he could speak again. He moved away from her and slid his arm under her body to hold her against him, reaching for her clit suddenly.

"Rick…" Beckett breathed out as the first jolt of pleasure hit her at his touch. She reached down and grabbed his hand but didn't try to stop him, just feeling him while he rubbed around her until she moved his hand away.

Castle was pleased when his wife was soon mounting him and he sat up so he could wrap his arms around her and hold her close. At the same time they were kissing each other they were coupling again and he let her begin to move, both groaning into each other's mouths as they lost themselves in each other once more.

* * *

Feeling her husband's hand cup over her right breast Beckett smiled and shook her head before she said, "Rick?" When he grumbled what sounded like a question she turned to him and said, "We should get some sleep."

"Wait," Castle said, raising his head. "I wanted to do something before we leave tomorrow."

"Today," Beckett said with a smile as her husband let her go and pulled her by the hand.

"Just for a little," Castle replied before he tugged the sheet off the bed to go with them. When they were outside of the room at the couch he set the sheet on it and then sat before she could.

"So you want me to just stand here?" Beckett asked him in amusement as he'd cupped her breasts before she could sit.

"Eventually you can sit," Castle told her, caressing at her. He watched her groan in pleasure before she suddenly shook herself and slapped at his hands. "You're no fun," he said teasingly.

"After you were doing that for most of the night?" Beckett replied as she sat with him.

"I didn't hear you complain," Castle said as he pulled her into his arms quickly. He leaned down and began to kiss her, feeling her hand come up to cup his cheek before they parted. "Hmm, I'm going to miss this."

"We have tomorrow night which is what I'm sure you want me to say," Beckett told him wryly. She then brushed her lips to his and cupping his face with both her hands she said, "I love you Rick."

"I love you too Kate," Castle replied with a smile. He pressed his forehead to hers and told her, " _Do you know how many years I wanted you like this_?"

" _I'm aware_ ," Beckett replied, kissing him gently. She then moved so she was on his lap and kissed him a little harder before they were lost in the next kiss. Two became four and after a few quick pants of air they delved into six until finally they stopped completely. " _I did too_ ," she said with a slight smile. "Though I wasn't sure what I'd find underneath your clothes."

When she got up he knew that they needed to get to bed and Castle told her, "I'm sure you're not disappointed."

"I don't think I would have been so vigorous if I was," Beckett replied, glancing down at his length.

Sighing in mock disappointment Castle said, "I guess you wore me out. Which is perfect."

Beckett laughed softly and said, "You did the same to me; also perfect. Come on."

"Are you eager for San Diego?" Castle asked as he let her lead the way back to the bed, bringing the sheet with him.

"Of course, I just wish we didn't have the signings and party," Beckett said as she lay down first, looking up at him. "Especially the party." She then reached up to him and laid her hand on his chest telling him, "And no, I don't regret this; I knew already before I joined you what the parties were like. I won't like them but they're needed. After they're done…"

"Yeah you get to reassert you own me," Castle replied as he laid down and then took her into his arms.

"I don't own you," Beckett said though she knew he was kidding. "Think of it as just… asserting my hold over you."

"Good way to say it," Castle replied. He then pretended to look thoughtful and said, "Showing how you enthrall me? Well, part of what does that for me." When she just laughed he squeezed her a little closer and kissed her cheek before he gently pressed his hand onto her stomach.

"Don't," Beckett said softly, taking his hand and kissing the palm. "Let's just focus on the rest of the trip."

"I want to get home too," Castle said, knowing what she meant by that. He leaned over and kissed her and after they shared it he whispered, "Love you."

"I love you too, night," Beckett said with a smile.

Castle watched her close her eyes and very quickly after felt her relax in his arms which let him know she'd fallen asleep. Once he was sure she was he did the same, stroking her arm until his hand stopped. Sleeping he began to dream of their night together again, as if his subconscious wanted him to remember what they'd had in anticipation of trying to do far better the next night. But he knew; when he would think of that the next day; there was no far better, just the need and the urge to be with his wife and feel their love physically as he already comprehended she would be feeling too.


	30. Going To San Diego

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: It was great to see what readers thought of the last chapter so will get to my thank yous for that right away! MsNYC (You're welcome, your review actually reminded me I'd never really talked about Skye's voice so that needed to be said. And interesting coincidence that you're a fan of Gwen Stefani and you love her voice too so that worked out, lol. Nice to see that you thought Paul being there was a great surprise for Skye as well as everyone who wasn't aware he was going to be there. Also liked seeing you thought it was cool since I figured that would definitely be. So happy that you thought Ringo was a great addition as I just had to add him as I know he lives somewhere in Southern California last, I heard. Great you thought it was great writing as usual! And I wasn't surprised to see you've got your fingers crossed for a baby, nice to read that since it means you figure it might happen with the love scenes so nice to know you read those!),  
TORONTOSUN (It was so nice to read you thought that having Paul there, along with Ringo and Barbara was awesome. I'd been hoping readers would think that! And great you liked the casual talk during the love scenes, figured it would work during them. Skye's case is actually a real one I just recently watched featured on the show Air Crash Investigation, it's a heartbreaking case considering it crashed in the city. But if you'd like to watch it, search for it online it's called Accident or Assassination. Anyways, interesting to see you liked it as I wanted it to grab my readers' attention and great that it did!) and  
vetgirlmx (So, so happy that you loved the chapter as much as you did! And I wasn't surprised to see that you recalled Ringo being there before so you weren't that he was at the party. But nice to see you were hoping that he showed up. And you're right, they performed with half of The Beatles- I prefer looking at it that way myself- but yeah, you can't get much higher than performing with half of that band and I'm glad that you thought it was amazing! I had really been wondering what you'd think of the mention of the investigation in Mexico City and somehow it doesn't surprise me that you weren't that Skye was there. And as I mentioned in the reply above I just saw about this accident on the episode and I could see why exactly they thought it might have been an assassination since those two men were pretty big in the government. But yeah, it was just a sad story of what had actually happened in the end since wake turbulence is really, really well documented now. Actually, there's one in the US that's a result of pilot error with wake turbulence American Airlines Flight 587; it's not the same exact same circumstances but it's similar; so it does happen and it's such a tragedy whatever happens of course. Anyways, I don't know for sure if the NTSB was involved with the investigation at the site but yeah, I could see Skye there too, lol, and I'm glad you thought that too! I'm so pleased that you loved the whole chapter and that you can't wait to see the next one and now you don't need to do so anymore!).  
Thanks so much for the reviews, loved reading them and appreciate the time taken to write them out and send them to me!

A/N #2: The title of this chapter is the title of a song that I know is performed by The Mountain Goats but not much else.

Going To San Diego

"Here's Dana Point," Skye said to Castle and Beckett in the back of the car.

"Pretty," Beckett said, looking out the window.

"Our girls are going to be coming here for an overnight field trip this year," Mary commented.

"Overnight?" Castle asked.

"Oh yes," Skye said with a smile. "They're going on an old masted sailing ship that's docked here and staying for the night."

"That sounds like fun," Beckett said with a smile. "What about next year? Do they have another big trip?"

"A weeklong trip to camp," Skye answered first.

"That will be very interesting and a little scary for us," Mary said. "Though the two of us went through sixth grade camp ourselves."

"What about Julia?" Skye asked as she moved onto the 5 freeway.

"She has sixth grade camp this year," Castle said. "But we'll have Eliza there with us so our house won't be empty."

"Lucky," Skye commented.

"Well when Eliza goes we'll be alone…" Castle said before he trailed off.

"You likely won't be," Mary said, glancing back at them. "Don't shy away from it."

"I guess it's as close as I'll ever get to being superstitious," Beckett replied.

"Well," Skye said after they'd been quiet for a while. "Best to settle in we'll be a while until the city."

Beckett looked out at the ocean as they were passing close to it when she felt a hand taking her own. With a smile, she looked at her husband and gave him a slight shake of her head to let him know that she was alright.

Though they were quiet the rest of the drive Castle kept a close eye on his wife to make sure that she was alright. As they were nearing the city he realized she was so he squeezed her hand again until he saw the signs on the freeway with familiar streets.

"We're here," Skye said. "And with that I remembered something I'd wanted to ask you. Did you ask for the same room at the hotel?"

"We did and managed to get it too," Castle replied. "Though I'm guessing that's because it's September?"

"Likely; it'll be less crowded where we're going to go which will be nice," Mary answered.

"There's Mission Bay," Skye said as they were passing some water.

"I remember," Beckett said with a smile, seeing some people along the path next to it riding bikes.

"Alright, we are in downtown," Mary said as the buildings came into view and her wife began to pull off the freeway.

Hearing the click of a shutter Skye glanced in the rearview mirror at Beckett and said, "Good architecture?"

"It is," Beckett said with a smile as she'd taken a picture of what was an obviously older building. She took some pictures out of the front of the car when they were stopped and took a last one when they were near the hotel. She put away her camera, knowing they would need to get out and go up to their rooms.

"When are you going to need your car again?" Castle asked.

"When we go for the signing," Skye answered after the car was being parked. She walked head of the others with her suitcase until they reached the lobby and she went with Castle to check them in.

"Where are you two going to stay?" Beckett asked Mary.

"A room," the woman said, shrugging her shoulders with a smile. "We don't have a room now like you two do."

"Thanks to her dad," Beckett replied with a smile.

"Okay we're ready," Skye said when she reached the two first. "But we're on different floors; we're two under your room."

"How much do you have to unpack?" Castle asked as they were following a bellman with their suitcases.

"Not a lot," Mary replied. "So we won't take too long." In the elevator, when she and Skye were at their floor, they took their suitcases before telling the two, "We'll text you when we're done."

"And then meet in the lobby," Skye said. "Since we need to walk from there."

Saying goodbye to the two women Castle and Beckett waited for the elevator to go up the two floors to theirs and they were led by the bellman to their room.

Inside their suite Castle quickly tipped the man for helping them before he locked the door. He was startled when; turning back to the room; he found his wife throwing her arms around him and he laughed slightly before he was hugging her back. "So," he said with a smile on his face. "You're happy."

"Not that," Beckett said simply before they were kissing each other deeply. She was relieved when he kissed her back and continued to do so until they were parting together to breathe. "I felt the urge."

"Oh, I know how that feels," Castle said, nodding his head. He smiled at her and then kissed her again but much quicker that time. "Do you want to go?"

"Yes," Beckett replied before she pulled him over to their suitcases. She unpacked quickly since she knew what she wanted to wear the three days they were there as well as the day they would be returning home.

"I'm ready," Castle replied. "And starving."

"We'll eat but not yet," Beckett replied as it was nearly eleven. "And I miss the girls enough."

"Sorry, I forgot they would do that," Castle replied, reaching for her to hold onto her.

Beckett brushed her lips to his and said, "It's alright, only a few more days and then we'll see them again. And remember, it'll be a Friday so we'll be able to spend time with them."

"A little," Castle said.

With a smile Beckett said, "Then Saturday."

"Do you have everything?" Castle asked when she got her phone then; knowing a message from Skye had just been sent.

"I'm ready," Beckett replied. When they were outside she then said, "I've been thinking of what we could do with the girls… maybe Alexis and Louis too though I'd like to let them go on their own if they'd want."

"That makes sense," Castle replied, nodding his head. "What do you have in mind exactly?"

"The ceramic shop," Beckett said first. "It's been a while since we went there and after I think we should go to the movies."

"What're they showing?" Castle asked since there was an old-fashioned theater in town that would show exclusively old movies or shows.

"Disney cartoons," Beckett replied. "That's at three and it'll be for an hour and a half."

"And dinner?" Castle asked, getting as excited for those plans as they had for the city.

"I don't know," Beckett said with a smile as she could tell his excitement from his tone of voice. "We'll see."

"I guess they beat us," Castle commented when they got to the lobby and saw that the two women were there.

"How's your room?" Beckett said as soon as they'd reached the two.

"Fabulous," Skye said first. "Great view of the bay so we're very happy."

"She's right," Mary said while they were walking out to street. "But we were eager to go."

"So are we," Castle told them rapidly. "Just a quick question, what are you going to do during the signing?"

"I told you, Horton Plaza," Skye said. "After we look at the books available of course," she added with a smile.

"And then we'll shop around, they have some nice stores if you're interested in looking around Kate," Mary told her.

"I think I'd rather look around the Gaslamp," Beckett replied with a smile. "I've heard the buildings there are historic."

"They are so you'll be interested in them too Rick," Skye said before they were crossing the street near the Trolley station.

"I've heard about it, so I am," Castle said with a nod. They then walked over to the ticket booths and he bought them for all four of them until they were standing and waiting to catch their trolley.

"Where are we eating?" Beckett asked.

"Tonight?" Skye asked. "We thought for a while about it," she said first.

"And finally, we said we should take you to a Dim Sum place that's across the street from Horton Plaza," Mary finished. "It opened just before our last visit here and we tried it out with the girls; fantastic."

"We're glad you're with us," Castle said in amusement.

"It's fun to be tour guides," Skye said with a smile. "I imagine it's the same for you when we're with you in the Hamptons."

"It is," Beckett said, smiling as well.

"Is that ours?" Castle said then when he spotted the trolley that was approaching them.

"It is, let's go," Skye said as it soon stopped in front of them and then hopped on the car they were nearest.

As they made their way over to Old Town Beckett was amazed at how familiar the views were though it had been over a year since she and her husband had last been there. "It's beautiful here," she murmured.

"You have to love the architecture," Castle said as they'd switched lines at the train station. He watched her take some pictures of the Santa Fe station and asked, "You don't mind the tint?"

"I can work with it," Beckett replied with a smile. They continued and she took a few pictures here and there at the stops where she could and smiled as she saw the airport at one point.

"I didn't fly us," Skye said, turning around as she and Mary were in the row in front of them. "As I prefer driving down here more."

" _Did you say once landing here is a bitch_?" Castle asked.

"Yes, and thank you for saying that in Irish," Skye replied. "I can do it but since I'm usually on vacation coming here I'd rather drive and relax."

Seeing they were nearing their station Beckett put the strap of her camera around her neck before she and Castle followed the two McDouglases to the door so they could get off. After they were at the station they walked across the street to the beginning of the park and they went into the main part of it before pausing and letting her take some pictures before she stopped and nodded to them. She was slightly startled when she saw that they were watching her and she turned her attention to Skye, waiting for her to be the one to suggest where they went.

"What? You've been here before you can very well say where you'd like to go," the investigator said in amusement to Castle and Beckett.

"What about just walking up this side like we did before?" Castle suggested.

"What about the Casa de Estudillo?" Beckett countered. She wasn't surprised when the three looked to her and she said, "We should get it over with."

"We can make our way up there," Mary said.

They began to walk and Beckett began taking pictures immediately as they passed the stores but didn't stop. When they reached the house in the middle she watched Skye pause and look at it. "Anything?" she asked.

"Not really," the investigator replied, her eyes roaming every inch of the house that she could see. "We'll go inside and if it's alright Mary will come out here to get you."

"I feel like I should apologize," Castle said, looking at his wife when they were alone.

"For what?" Beckett said with a smile, looking at him from the screen of her camera as she was still taking pictures.

"Does it seem like we're being too careful," Castle stated.

Beckett thought that over for a moment but then reached up to him and cupped his cheek with her hand before she kissed him firmly. It was a quick kiss and when they parted she said, "No, I don't want to go through what I did at the Winchester again." She then looked past his shoulder and saw Mary was waving to them from the doorway. "Let's go," she told him, taking his hand as they walked up to the woman.

"Skye says that there's a little girl here; maybe one of the Estudillo daughters," Mary told them when they were close enough. "She's asking about you."

"Me?" Beckett said doubtfully since the woman was looking at her.

"That's what she said," Mary replied. "Come on, she's at the bedroom next to the _sala_." She led them inside the house and then said to her wife when they went down the steps, "She's here."

"Good," Skye replied, holding her hand out to the bed.

Hearing the woman speaking in Spanish Castle glanced at his wife and saw that she had no real reaction on her face. "Are-" he began to say to her.

Walking back to them Skye said, "I'm not sure what's going on," to Beckett seriously. "We did a quick walk around the veranda and I spotted her peeking out of the doorway here. She asked where the other woman was."

"How did she know you were here?" Castle asked, looking at Beckett. "The window looks out over there and we haven't reached that part yet."

"She was in the _sala_ ," Beckett said. "Did she say what she wanted?" she directed to Skye.

"No, she just repeated the question," the woman replied. "So I'm leaving this up to you," she finished with.

Looking around the investigator Beckett looked at the darkened doorway and said, "This is-"

"At some point you're going to have to stop trying to deny this," Skye interrupted her. When she saw the way her friend was looking at her in surprise she sighed in slight impatience and said, "What you've sensed, what you've seen Julia go through… What I've told you. Either you're experiencing yourself or we're all playing the biggest, longest running practical joke on you. And that includes your daughter too."

The mention of Julia tamped down any irritation Beckett might have had with her friend and she glanced at her husband as she said, "I can't… deal with what this would… what it means," having a little trouble putting that into words.

"It would take some time," Skye replied. "I would talk about this but she's calling to me right now."

Beckett opened her mouth to speak when she heard the soft laughter of a child near them. She turned around but couldn't see any children before she looked at Skye.

"That's her," the investigator said with a smile as Castle and Mary were looking confused.

"Wait," Castle said as the two women walked towards the room. "We-"

"We stay here," Mary replied. She wasn't surprised when he looked at her with wide eyes and she shrugged before saying, "The little girl would notice us and disappear, better you let her talk to Kate and see what happens. We'll be near enough to help if we need to."

Glancing back at her husband who eventually nodded to her Beckett turned around and walked with Skye into the room. "Oh…" she breathed as she could feel the chill that was flooding the room.

"Yeah, it's been like this for some time," Skye said, smiling to the bed. "Too bad it wasn't summer."

"C-can you see her?" Beckett asked, having to force the first word out.

"Can you?" Skye replied, glancing at her from the corner of her eye.

"What?" Beckett said, struggling to keep from stammering the word.

"Can you move?" Skye said in concern.

Before Beckett could answer the sound of laughter filled the room again and there was the cry of an accented, " _Mamá_!" before the chill vanished in a rush leaving the two standing almost frozen.

"Are you guys okay?" Mary asked, hurrying up to the doorway.

"What happened?" Castle asked.

"We're fine," Beckett said first. She went past her husband and didn't stop until she was in the sun, feeling the warmth after the chill in the room. "I am fine," she said when he ran up to her. She looked over at Skye who was walking up to them with Mary and said, "She didn't say anything."

"She might be a little mischievous," Skye replied. She then became thoughtful and told her, "That might be why she's here. You saw the episode of GA where they came here right?"

"We did, they talked about the daughters but… really vaguely," Castle answered.

"But do you remember what they said about them?" Skye asked.

"You're thinking she was forced into an unhappy marriage," Beckett replied.

"Or it became unhappy," Skye said. "I of course have no idea if it's for sure but…"

"It would explain why she's still here," Beckett finished. "But why me?"

"She's not letting her know of what might happen to her in the future is she?" Castle asked then, unable to help feeling slight anxiety at the idea.

"No, I would imagine she wanted to see you because of your daughters," Skye said, studying her friend for a while.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about them lately; especially since we came here," Beckett replied to her friend's unasked question.

"That would do it," Mary commented, her wife nodding in agreement.

"I guess she was drawn to that," Skye added. "So, keep going?"

"Just through the garden," Beckett said, looking around and seeing that some flowers were in bloom.

"We'll follow," Castle said, holding his wife back from following the two.

"I don't need to tell you for a third time," Beckett replied as she just looked at him.

"Alright but if you feel the urge to sit or like you're going to spout Latin-" Castle began before she shoved him with her hand on his shoulder. He laughed and said, "Seriously."

"I know and I'll tell you," Beckett said with a nod and a smile before they continued.

When they were outside of the house and then walking down the street again Castle ushered her to a wood structure saying, "The girls would kill us if we didn't stop here."

"We're following," Mary said in obvious amusement. "We always stop here for a look, even if we don't find anything."

"Are you thinking of getting them something?" Beckett asked her husband while he pulled her through the store without stopping.

"These," Castle replied as they turned the corner of some shelving and he pointed to the coloring books on display. "Remember how Julia was when she saw these."

"I do," Beckett said slowly.

"What?" Castle asked in slight concern at her tone.

"No, I'm trying to remember what we got last time we were here," Beckett replied.

Castle wanted to speak when his wife then picked up a coloring book on Empire fashion and one on state flowers and state birds. "You should grab a second for Eliza," he suggested.

"We'll wait to give it to her though," Beckett told him. "She's a little young for this," she said as she opened it to a page to show it to him.

"Good idea," Castle said when he saw the detail in it. "What about for Eliza?"

"Hold on," Beckett said with a smile, handing him the books. She walked ahead of him and looked around before she then saw the coloring books for younger children.

"That one," Castle said, seeing it was about ponies.

"I was reaching for it," Beckett replied as she picked it up. She flipped through it to make sure about it before she then told him, "Let's go." She was going to move towards the register at the front when she saw he wasn't following. She looked at him for a moment before she sighed and said, "Go."

Squeezing her hand in thanks Castle walked around the shelving unit to get to the books on hauntings.

When he'd disappeared Beckett shook her head, though she was smiling to herself, and she walked in the opposite direction where Skye was looking at a display case. "Going to get a seal?" she asked.

With a smile, the investigator looked at her and said, "You know I already have one."

"I'm aware," Beckett said, smiling when the woman rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't want an R? Or an S?" she asked as the seals in the case were letters.

"Pass, I prefer my shamrock far more," Skye replied. She stood up straight and asked, "Where's your husband?"

Looking down the aisle Beckett said, "On the other side."

"Shocker," Skye replied with a smile. "I'm surprised you let him."

"It wasn't so much a matter of letting him," Beckett said. "He just wanted to see if I would stop him."

"Are you two ever going to stop doing that?" Skye asked with a slight smirk on her face.

"Not likely," Beckett replied. "What about your wife?" she asked, looking around.

"She went next door," Skye said, nodding in the direction of the store that sold Asian items. "Picking up some incense for… things."

"Could've spoken in another language," Beckett said with a smile. " _You use that too_?" she then asked in Russian.

Skye studied her and then said, " _Really_? _No embarrassment or hesitation_? _How much are we going to tell each other_?"

" _Enough_ ," Beckett said simply before they began to laugh together.

" _Listen_ ," Skye said, still speaking in Russian and looking around. " _Something I've wondered about what you two are trying to do. Can he still_ -"

" _We checked, both of us_ ," Beckett replied. When Skye just stared at her looking perplexed she admitted, " _Before we went to Ireland but that was more with everything else. I hadn't told him yet though I was starting to think about it more. We got the results just before we left and we're fine. If we have any issues it… won't be because of that_."

" _So that's a good thing_ ," Skye told her. When Beckett nodded she then looked over to the aisle behind her friend and said, "He's here. So you found something."

"Just one book," Castle said. "Are you okay?" he asked, studying his wife.

"Yes, you're mistaking my exasperation with you for distress," Beckett said simply. "Show me," she told him.

Without a word Castle handed over the book and watching her look it over said, "I'm not expecting you to…" He trailed off as she opened it and appeared to be reading he said, "Read it."

"I'm not," Beckett said. She then went to the table of contents and said to Skye who was still standing with them, "These are all places?"

"So they say," the investigator replied with a nod as she recognized the book being about haunted places in California. "It's a fairly old book so whether it's all that legitimate I can't say. "I'll be with Mary next door."

Watching her go Castle said, "Nothing for their girls?"

"I think they get a lot of coloring books here," Beckett replied as they walked over to the register.

"You didn't see anything else for them?" Castle asked her as they waited behind who was paying at that moment.

"I think the books are enough," Beckett said. "Plus, they're thin enough for our suitcases."

"Okay," Castle said before he stepped up.

Squeezing his shoulder in passing Beckett stepped outside and said to Skye who was standing there, "Your wife?"

"I just checked the store and came back; she's at the candy store," the investigator replied. When she saw the way Beckett was looking at her she shrugged and said, "We love the nostalgic candy." She then made a face and said, "That and my wife loves jelly beans."

"Then we should go," Castle said, stepping out to them.

"After lunch," Beckett told him.

"No, she's right," Skye said when he looked like he was about to protest. "I'm going to pull Mary out and we'll go to the restaurant; we took a while looking around there," she explained, nodding to the Casa de Estudillo.

"The garden was really nice," Castle said before Skye disappeared into the store. He turned to Beckett and said, "What did you guys talk about while I was looking around?"

"Nothing really, I told her about the coloring books and what you were looking at then," Beckett answered, not sure why she didn't want to tell him about what they'd really spoken about.

The McDouglases came out then and walked over to them before they headed to the plaza in the corner and to the outdoor restaurant in the middle of that. They were seated near where they'd been when they'd been there with their families and after they'd ordered Skye brought up their third day.

"Yeah Balboa Park," Castle said.

"You two need to pick the museums," Mary said. "Not us."

"I thought we were going to the Air and Space Museum?" Castle asked.

"It's a little unfair to ask-" Skye started to say.

"Don't start," Beckett interrupted.

"At least pick a museum too," Skye said.

"It'd make us feel better," Mary told them.

"What else do they have?" Castle said. "I don't remember."

"Well," Skye said slowly, looking back and forth between the two. "They have an automotive museum near the Air and Space."

"Why the hesitation?" Beckett asked her.

"We would like to go through the park," Mary said.

"Just along the museums and the bridge above the 163; El Prado," Skye added.

"I'd like to too," Beckett replied. She smiled and said, "We didn't go that way before."

"And she'll still take pictures when we're walking the same way we went before," Castle said.

"Alright," Skye said. "We-"

"There's something else though," Castle said, interrupting her that time.

"He's right," Beckett said, studying the two women.

With a smile Skye said, "Not a museum but for lunch that day we can go to the Japanese Garden."

"We remember that too," Beckett said. "And we don't mind."

"The only thing we requested was Point Loma," Castle reminded them.

"Which we'll do," Skye assured them before their food was served. They'd eaten for a while before she then said, "We can either do that tomorrow or Wednesday."

"What time does the zoo close tomorrow?" Castle asked.

"Six," Mary said. "We looked before we picked you up this morning. It opens at nine."

"Do you want to be there that early?" Castle asked.

"No, we can leave the hotel at nine thirty or ten," Skye replied.

"Nine thirty is fine," Beckett replied. She finished her drink and then said, "How far are we going here?"

"You mean on the outside?" Skye asked since that question had been directed to her. When Beckett nodded she said, "We'll cross the street at the Whaley-"

"I can handle the backyard," Beckett interrupted.

"No you can't, what are you talking about?" Castle said in shock as he stared at her.

"It's a risk," Skye said as Castle was gesturing to her. "Why?"

"I don't know," Beckett said slowly. "I just feel like I should go."

"You can't let-" Castle started to say.

"I can't force her not to go, we'll likely pass right by it," Skye interrupted him. "Plus, she's a friend."

"And you can just let her go after what we told-" Castle began.

"Rick," Beckett said calmingly as she placed her hand on his arm. "I'll be fine because I won't go until Skye checks… if she wants."

"I'll do it," the investigator replied with a nod. "I'd like to see it as well if you're getting this urge."

Beckett wanted to protest that but she couldn't bring herself to form the words, unsure why exactly that was. She didn't say anything else and watched her husband paying for their bill that they'd had split between them and the McDouglases. "Do you want to go around the other side here?" she asked the others once they were out of the plaza and back to the main part of the park.

"We'll come back that way," Skye said. They left together but soon she and her wife were ahead of the two and she glanced back at them.

"Is she okay?" Mary asked her wife.

"I think so," Skye replied. "I'm just wondering what it was that compelled her to say she wanted to go."

"You don't think it's a better idea for us to walk across the street from it?" Mary said. "Maybe Rick's right."

"No," Skye said. "Not unless I can sense it and I will if anything is there…"

"What?" Mary asked.

"Mrs. Whaley," Skye said in response. "I think she's calling to her."

"Did you sense her just now?" Mary asked.

"I did, it's her," Skye replied looking in the direction of the house. "I'll see if I can speak with her, see what she wants from Kate."

"So, you really want to go?" Castle was asking his wife while the women ahead of them were talking.

"Just the garden Rick," Beckett reminded him, not trying to sound too annoyed with him though she was aware how worried he was about her. She wasn't surprised when he stopped her and looking into his eyes she could see then how far his concern went. She was tempted to embrace him, in a way to comfort him and to try and in a way calm herself down, but felt she couldn't as there were too many people around them. "I'll listen to Skye; whatever she tells me," she assured him.

Castle only nodded before he reached over to take her hand. He entwined their fingers tightly as they continued after the two women and didn't stop until they met at the store next to the general store. "Want anything here?" he asked her.

"We don't really need incense," Beckett began. "But we should look around and see what they have."

"Sure," Castle said, motioning for her to go first. He followed her to where the small boxes were and wasn't surprised when she didn't pick anything out. "Nothing?" he asked as he followed her back outside.

"You can look," Beckett replied with a smile.

"I think I'm alright," Castle said with a shrug. He looked back at the McDouglases who were walking up to them and said, "Keep going?"

"Do you want to go to that store there?" Mary asked as she pointed to the one that was across the path from them.

"We're good," Castle said, knowing that already as he could recall the merchandise that had been there the year before.

"Then I think we should continue," Skye said, looking at Beckett particularly.

"We can," she said. As they started to walk again she said to the three, "This was supposed to be partly a vacation you guys. It's not going to really be that relaxing with you all concerned about me."

"His concern is infectious," Mary said.

"She's right, it is," Skye added. "But we'll try to lose that concern."

Beckett nodded before she then turned her attention to the street ahead of them, watching as the Whaley House soon came into view. When they reached a restaurant across the street from it she wasn't surprised when the investigator stopped them.

"We'll be right back," Skye told them. "Well… Mary will again if it's alright."

Feeling her husband's hand on the small of her back Beckett glanced up at him before she said, "Don't-"

"No, I just wanted to," Castle told her quickly.

With a nod Beckett then kissed his cheek and said, "Come on, I want to be able to see her when she starts coming over to us."

"You're assuming she will," Castle replied though he soon saw Mary coming up to the exit of the garden behind the house. He took her hand then and walked with her over to the woman saying, "Can she tell what's going on?"

"No, she's getting the scent of perfume which is associated with Mrs. Whaley," Mary replied. "But she doesn't know where she is or what she wants with you Kate."

Stepping onto the path that led to the rose garden Beckett glanced around but realized she felt fine. She started to walk over to Skye who was a little closer to the house, thinking she was crazy, when she suddenly felt the sense that someone was watching her. She looked at her friend with wide eyes before she looked up at the house and on the second floor spotted the lace curtain covering a window moving. "Someone…" she began to say.

"No, that was her," Skye said with a brief smile. "I think she wanted to see you."

"Anything?" Beckett asked.

"No, she's gone," Skye answered, shaking her head. "Whatever that was for she's satisfied."

"So we can all relax now," Beckett said, glancing at her husband.

"We can, what about now?" Castle asked them.

"Now we can walk around like we were before," Skye replied. "But I think we should skip the cemetery. Not for your sake," she quickly told Beckett when she saw her friend looked annoyed.

"Yours?" Castle asked, slightly surprised.

"Yes, and if you're wondering about last year," Skye said when they'd made it out to the sidewalk. "She dampened the effect; Mary does that too."

"But… because I'm a skeptic?" Beckett asked, startled herself when her friend motioned to her.

"Yes," Skye said. "But now you're getting more and more experience with this kind of thing it's going to be harder for you to affect that. Let's cross here and make our way back."

After they'd done so they didn't stop until they were back at the park. From there they made their way to the other side of it, going into where the donkeys were held.

"I never liked these," Beckett said to her husband as Skye and Mary were ahead of them. "But that's unfair."

"No, you prefer horses but you would still help one if it needed to be," Castle pointed out to her.

Beckett smiled and was about to speak when her husband kissed her cheek before he pulled her out of the stables. "You-" she tried to say as they walked to the barn that was next door.

"Here," Castle said, going to where there were some old wagons behind the structure. They were alone there so he took her into his arms and was about to kiss her when suddenly she was doing so. He was startled for a moment before he rapidly recovered and they were soon dueling with each other hungrily. He wanted that to go on for some time but after what he guessed was the fourth kiss they had to stop. "I couldn't help myself," he explained to her.

With a smile Beckett said, "I could tell and I could have stopped you."

"I have to remember that," Castle said, nodding his head once. He then smiled and said, "One more before they find us…"

Beckett wanted to tease him about how that wasn't going to be the last but decided she didn't really want to waste time. She held onto him tightly when his hand began to rub around on her back, becoming highly disappointed when he pulled away. "You owe me," she told him slightly breathlessly.

"I know, you should make sure I pay you back," Castle said.

Laughing softly Beckett leaned into him and brushed her lips against his telling him, " _I love you_."

" _I love you too_ ," Castle murmured before they kissed. When he heard a whistle shortly after they'd started he groaned as they quickly pulled away and said, "I knew I shouldn't have risked that."

"Oh, we would have done the same," Mary said. "Forgot you don't like donkeys too much."

"That was me," Castle said, raising his left hand as he was holding Beckett's with the other. "I couldn't help it."

"Still," Skye said with a smile. "We're nearly finished here," she told the two as they came to the last store. "What would you like to do once we're out of here?"

"I was thinking of leaving swimming for tonight," Beckett suggested.

"I agree; Seaport Village until three thirty?" Castle asked as they then walked through the grass in the plaza of the park to make their way back to the trolley station.

"Best make it three forty-five," Skye said, checking her watch. "We're not that far from Horton."

"Sure," Beckett said, looking at her husband as he was checking the time as well. When they had reached the line of the trolley they needed to catch they were all running as one was there and was nearly ready to leave. She laughed as her husband pulled her into the car before they sat down just as the doors closed. "Anything you're looking for in particular?" she asked him once they were on their way.

With a smile Castle said, "I was thinking about another kite… kites for them but I was going to ask you once with got there."

"You mean once you'd bought them?" Beckett asked with her eyebrow slightly raised.

Still smiling Castle brought her hand up to his lips, not surprised when she rolled her eyes. "I am telling you now," he then pointed out to her.

"And we can do that but it's a Christmas gift," Beckett replied.

"Okay," Castle said with a nod. "Listen, speaking of Christmas you're serious about getting a dog, right?"

"I am, why?" Beckett asked in surprise. She was surprised again when her husband then handed her his phone and she saw he'd opened it to an e-mail. "This was what you got before we ordered?" she asked as he had gotten something on it before the waiter had come back to their table.

"It was," Castle said, watching her closely.

" _Sprint was rescued five months ago from an illegal racing operation north of NYC, he's a red and born on January first of this year_ ," Beckett read. She opened the picture that was attached to it and with a smile said, "He's beautiful."

"It says here," Castle said, feeling a surge of hope at her tone. "He's almost fully trained, the foster mother says he's great with her kids; including her newborn; and he's…"

"He'll be perfect except for the name," Beckett said, pressing her hand to his chest with a smile to calm him down.

"Sorry, I don't know why but I love having a pet with you… many," Castle replied, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Because we had to share our last separately and that was only briefly," Beckett commented.

"I like the wording of that," Castle replied after thinking over how she'd said that. He nodded and then pressed his lips to her temple before pulling away to ask if he could reply to the e-mail when he saw she was doing that already.

"Oh," Beckett said before her husband could speak without realizing he was about to. "And I think this will definitely be our last dog for now."

"Sure," Castle replied. "He'll be ready for Christmas."

"Good though I have to wonder what they'll name him," Beckett said with a smile.

Castle could only shrug; though he was thinking that as well; and he looked out the window as they needed to get off the trolley. When they were back by the hotel he said to Skye and Mary, "I'm surprised there were so many people there."

"Tourists and people going home," Skye said with a shrug. "Ready?"

"We are," Beckett said. While they were walking over to Seaport Village in front of their hotel she told the two women about the e-mail that her husband had gotten. "I guess we're getting a third dog."

"Good, nothing wrong with that if you can handle them," Skye said.

"Since you have two distinctive breeds I think you'll do well with a greyhound," Mary told them. "Raj and Barry had one, they loved her."

"You'll have to tell us what your girls name him," Skye said as they were nearing the first building; the bookstore. "They think of good names."

"Tell Julia that, she's the one who named Macca and Rita," Castle said with a smile.

"Alright, we're here," Mary said as they stopped and she and her wife turned around to face the couple.

"We can split up," Castle told them in amusement. "We're here together but we don't have to be together the whole time. Good practice for tomorrow."

Beckett wasn't surprised when the two women shook their heads but then agreed with her and her husband to meet at three forty-five to go back to the hotel. When they were alone she asked, "What'll be first?"

"I was thinking the kite store, the bookstore last," Castle told her. When she slipped her hand into his he smiled and then led her towards the seawall where the kite store was. "I wanted to sit over there," he told her when they were closer, pointing at the wall.

"We will, just before we go to the bookstore," Beckett replied. She smiled at the way he was so obviously excited but she didn't say anything as she didn't want to ruin his mood; especially since she shared it. They were soon after at the store and they split up, beginning to look separately for their daughters to see what they could like. She found Julia's quickly before going to her husband, waiting for him to find the one for Eliza before he turned to her to speak.

"I was thinking of this one," Castle told his wife, showing her the bluebird kite.

"She'd like the color," Beckett said with a nod.

"And for Julia?" Castle asked. When he saw that the kite was a pattern of blue and green paisley he asked, "Is she so grown up she doesn't like animals anymore?"

With a brief roll of her eyes Beckett said as she led the way over to the register, "No but she likes patterns too. And don't forget she already has one shaped like a bird."

"But she is growing up," Castle replied. He smiled when his wife gave him a look but she couldn't respond as the cashier was ringing their things up.

"She is Rick," Beckett said once they were outside for their paid kites. "But she's still only ten."

"You're still hoping she stays this small," Castle said.

"That's you," Beckett said. She then smiled and said, "I am too but I'm realistic. I think my mom was the same with me."

"And your dad wanted you to stay young?" Castle asked. When she nodded he said, "I guess that's how all parents are." He looked at sea wall they were walking next to and was about to speak when she interrupted him.

"Not yet love," Beckett told him with a smile. "Let's keep going."

Castle nodded, as he knew she did want to visit the stores again, but became surprised when he realized that they weren't stopping to walk back into where those stores were. "Kate," he said as they were leaving the main part of Seaport Village all together.

"I know where I'm going," Beckett replied, smiling at him.

"Okay," Castle said though that wasn't why he'd spoken. A short space after the end of the shops she was turning them down a pier that was open for them to walk on and said, "Here?"

"Just for some pictures," Beckett replied. When he nodded she got her camera ready and took a few shots before she got one of the USS Midway that was docked north of them with the green grass on land in front of it.

"Let me see," Castle said as he'd been able to see what she was aiming for. He took her camera and said, "You're an artist love."

"Thank you," Beckett said with a smile. "Now," she told him. "Do you remember any shops you'd like to visit?"

"The one with all the animal memorabilia?" Castle asked. "What?" he then said when he saw her obvious amusement.

"I think you mean merchandise," Beckett replied. "Come on," she said as she took his hand again before leading the way back to the stores.

When they were inside of it Castle walked over to some figurines of dogs when he spotted one of a greyhound. He saw one that was running and picked it up before looking for his wife, startled to find that she was right next to him.

"No," Beckett said.

"But you know Julia has a Wolfhound and Ibizan in her room," Castle said, not letting go of the figurine. "We can give it to her at Christmas."

"In what order?" Beckett asked as she knew her husband was right about Julia wanting to add to her collection of dogs. "I think," she said, holding up her hand to keep him from replying to that. "We should wait until that night."

"So not a gift," Castle said.

"No," Beckett said. "Just remember to keep it hidden," she told him.

"Alright, did you find anything for them?" Castle asked her as he was ready to go over to the register.

"No, they have kites," Beckett replied.

With a nod Castle left to pay and then walked outside to the fountain in between some stores where he saw his wife was taking pictures. "So," he began when she turned to look at him. "Anywhere you want to go?"

Looking around them, Beckett finally shook her head and said, "We can go to the wall now." She saw he was going to speak when she said, "Unless you'd like to go somewhere."

Castle didn't say anything, merely took her hand and pulled her with him over to the store he'd recalled from the time before. When they could see it, he turned to look at her to see her reaction.


	31. Going To San Diego (Part 2)

"What are you thinking?" Beckett asked as she could tell he was thinking about something.

"Well," Castle began slowly. "We have two pillars on our front porch… in front of the door."

"Okay," Beckett said as she realized what he had thought of.

"I think we should put up the American flag since we are of course American," Castle said, continuing to watch her closely. "And on the other pillar the Irish flag."

"Yes," Beckett answered the second he'd finished speaking.

"It… that fast?" Castle asked, a bit startled.

"Yes, you don't think I'm ashamed of either do you?" Beckett asked, slightly laughingly.

"Oh, true," Castle replied.

"Except I don't want them on the columns," Beckett told him. "I don't want to have to drill for the holders in them; what about on either side of the front window next to the door?"

Thinking that over Castle nodded and said, "Tucked away a little."

"Exactly," Beckett replied.

"Okay, then why don't we go inside and pick the Irish flag out?" When she nodded; not realizing that she was fighting a smile at that moment at his enthusiasm; he took her hand again and together they went inside. He found it first before he looked at his wife and said, "What about other flags."

"I knew you were going to say that," Beckett said in amusement. "And it's an interesting idea but it'll make our home look like a hotel."

"Isn't it? How many people have stayed there?" Castle asked. When she shook her head; smiling at the same time; he said, "I'll pay."

Beckett watched him go before she went over to some flags on display and looked around before Castle had rejoined her. "You already have the other flag, don't you?" she asked as they stepped outside and then made their way down to the water.

"I was going to ask you but I kept forgetting," Castle answered. They sat down together on the wall facing the water and sat in silence together before he said, "Thank you."

"For what? Agreeing to that?" Beckett asked.

"No, for this," Castle replied. When she glanced at him from her camera; as she'd been taking pictures since they'd first sat down; he smiled and said, "It's nice."

"It is," Beckett said, smiling back at him. She couldn't help herself and she leaned over to him, pressing her lips to his briefly before she sat up again. Looking out at the water she couldn't help remembering when the girls had been with them and she let out a little sigh without realizing she was at first. She nearly jumped when her husband wrapped his arm around her waist and looking at him said, "I'm thinking about the girls again."

"I don't blame you," Castle said. Something came to mind and he said, "Listen, we're not talking with them today but what if we send them a quick video?"

"Okay… now?" Beckett asked.

"No, filming the water behind us," Castle said. "So they can see the bay again, I know they'll remember it."

Beckett nodded before they looked up at the sky together when a low flying helicopter went by. She sighed and said, "I wish we didn't have to go to the signing."

"Me too but… how are we going to do the game this time?" Castle asked.

"Buy me a drink at the zoo tomorrow," Beckett told him with a slight smirk.

"Don't be so confident," Castle replied.

"I can't help it," Beckett said, her smirk disappearing into a laugh as her husband then tried to tickle her sides. She slapped his hands away before saying, "Speaking of that, we should film our video."

"Right," Castle said, looking at the time and seeing she was right. He climbed back over the wall with her and got his phone ready before asking her, "Want to plan this out?"

"Not in detail," Beckett said. "Let's just say we miss them… a lot. And that we can't wait to talk to them tomorrow."

"By the way," Castle started to say.

"At the zoo," Beckett said with a smile. "We should do it at three our time so we'll still be there."

"We will," Castle agreed as he nodded at the same time. "Okay, ready?" he asked her as he wrapped his arm around her so she would be in the shot. "Hey girls," he said once he'd pressed the record button. "We're here at Seaport Village in San Diego right now."

"And we really miss you so we decided to record this message so you know," Beckett took up then. "Especially here since we're remembering when we were here last year with all three of you."

"And tomorrow we have to confess we're going to call you from the zoo," Castle told them. "We wanted to visit it but trust us-"

"We feel bad you won't be able to see it," Beckett finished. "So we'll see you there tomorrow and until then I love you girls."

"And I love you three too," Castle then said. They said goodbye to their daughters at the same time and then sent the movie, walking over to the bookstore where they would start looking before they met the McDouglases and went back to their rooms to get ready for their night.

* * *

"Thank you for coming out," Castle said as he handed the woman in front of him her book he'd just signed after Beckett had.

"Enjoy the book," she added with a smile before the woman had walked away. Beckett smiled at her husband and said, "Almost done."

"I know, this might be a record," Castle said.

Beckett shook her head, still smiling, and was going to comment on that before the next person in line at their book signing at the Horton Plaza came up to them. "Hello," she said to the man.

"Hi, my name is Eric," the man said, obviously a little shy. "Great fan of your works."

"We're happy to hear that," Castle said, not feeling the guy was an issue just wanting to remind him he was there as well.

After she'd signed the book Beckett slid it to her husband, watching the man watching her husband signing before he thanked them both and left. "You might be right," she said.

"I am right," Castle said as one of the book store employees was announcing that the signing was over. "Wow, so what do we do? Buy each other drinks?"

"Why don't we just say there's no reason for that because we didn't get anything?" Beckett asked him.

"Sure," Castle replied. He looked around and then asked, "Can we watch their video now?"

"Yes, but not until we're outside," Beckett replied. They thanked the workers at the bookstore before they left, finding an area on the lower floor of the plaza before they went to a secluded part. "Go ahead," she said when her husband glanced at her.

Pressing play Castle smiled when he saw all three of their daughters were pressed together to fit on the screen and he held Beckett against him as they watched.

"Hi Mommy, Daddy," Julia said first on the screen. "We saw your movie and it looks so pretty over there."

"I remember it!" Eliza crowed happily.

"Me too," Julia said once she and her sisters had stopped laughing. "But we miss you too a-"

"Lots! A lot!" Eliza then said. "But you're gonna come home soon Mommy, Daddy."

"And they don't mind you going to the zoo tomorrow," Alexis added.

"Yeah, you're there," Eliza said quickly after looking at her sisters. She smiled and said, "But we want you to take lots of pictures Mommy."

"That and take a picture of you both at the giraffes," Julia said.

"And f'amingoes," Eliza said before she giggled softly. "So we can see them too."

"And call whenever you want," Alexis said. "Once Julia's dance class is over we're coming back home and staying; it's supposed to rain tomorrow." She then turned her attention to her sisters and told them, "We need to go say goodbye."

"You first," Julia said.

"Okay," Alexis said with a smile. "I love you both Dad, Kate. We'll see you tomorrow."

"I love you too Mommy and Daddy, we had a good time at home," Eliza said. "But we miss you lots," she added as she waved before she brought the phone down to her to kiss the screen.

"Lizzy let Jules tell them now," Alexis said laughingly.

Beckett was laughing herself with Castle as they watched their youngest give the screen a loud, smacking kiss.

"I love you too Mommy, Daddy," Julia said. "Really fast; Ms. Grey said there might be a special judge at our competition and we have a marathon dance too! I'll say more tomorrow so I have something to say."

Watching as the three waved Castle said when the screen had paused, "I wonder if she should have told them that."

"They never see the judges," Beckett pointed out to him.

"Oh," Castle said in realization. "That's even worse, what if it's a big dancer?" He gave a mock gasp as they started to walk over to the store where they knew the McDouglases were and said, "What if it's Len Goodman?"

"I don't think she'd mind as long as she can't see him," Beckett replied. "Better if it's Bruno."

"Actually, that would be great if it was," Castle said with a nod. "And what about the marathon? She's only ten will she be alright?"

"I'm sure it's not that long," Beckett replied. "Alexis was probably paying attention today so she'll let us know."

"Oh good," Mary said, coming to the entrance of the store just as Castle and Beckett were reaching it. "Come on; Rick we'll be back."

"Wait," Beckett said, laughing as the woman was literally pulling her through the store. "Where are you taking me?"

"Skye told me to get you," Mary said simply. They had reached the dressing rooms and she took Beckett inside telling her wife, "She's here _grá_."

"So, how was it?" Skye asked as she turned to them.

"Not bad, same as other signings," Beckett said. "Nice jacket."

"It's a whole suit," Mary said, going to her wife. She adjusted the lapels on the blazer and said to Beckett; almost gushing; "Doesn't she look delicious?"

Beckett; spotting the look Skye was throwing to her over her wife's shoulder; tried her best not to laugh before she said, "I would have to take your word for it; but the suit looks nice."

"Okay _grá_ ," Skye said to her wife, stopping her. "Let me show Kate why you dragged her in here."

"Did you know she was going to do that?" Beckett asked as she walked over to the two women.

"No, I had a feeling," Skye said. "Here," she told her, handing over the coat in her hand.

"It's…" Beckett started to say.  
"I know, I was startled at the color myself but it's really soft," Skye told her. "And the cut favors you."

"Thank you for pointing it out to me," Beckett said as she found herself enjoying it more as she studied it more closely. She handed it back to Skye and took off her light jacket she'd worn over her light blue blouse she'd changed into for the signing to try the coat on that was nearly the same color.

"Well despite the fact your blouse disappears in the coat," Skye said jokingly. "Looks nice."

"You have an eye for coats," Mary said, looking proudly at her wife.

"My dad loves them; gets a lot of them from London when he goes," Skye explained as Beckett was looking at her questioningly.

"What about suits?" she asked her friend.

"Those too and I did tell him that Rick enjoyed the suit he got there… well the process of making it since they let him watch them make it," Skye replied with a smile. "I'm surprised you didn't come with."

"Not really my thing," Beckett said as she finished buttoning the coat with the large buttons. "Okay," she said. "Were you two going to shop more?"

"No, we're starving and I'm going to dinner even if the lot of you aren't going to follow," Skye said jokingly, having Mary help her with the suit jacket.

"We both are, we thought the signing was only going to be two hours," Beckett replied as she removed the coat.

"Do you get extra pay for that at all?" Mary asked as Skye disappeared into a stall then.

"Slightly," Beckett replied.

"You do know how much you get paid right?" Skye called.

"I do," Beckett said. "I meant slightly as in it's not really much to note. There were a lot of people there which is why the half hour got tacked on."

"What about your game?" Mary asked.

"That's right," Skye said, stepping out. "You didn't tell us about that first off; thought you would have."

"How did you get changed so fast?" Beckett said in surprise.

"You learn to when you're on call," Skye said. "You… oh, I suppose you didn't quite do the same as a detective."

"No," Beckett said as they stepped outside.

"Is your husband looking at the clothes?" Mary commented tonelessly when they saw him in the store.

"For me, I better go stop him," Beckett started to say, trying to hand her coat to the woman. "I just want you to hold-" she began when she wouldn't take it.

"I think she's trying to tell you to let him be," Skye said in amusement. "Who do you think saw my suit?"

"I know what I want my wife to wear," Mary said easily, taking the clothes from her wife and strolling away with her nose playfully up in the air.

"That and I taught her how to look at them and coats," Skye said to Beckett when they glanced at each other. "She never caught on to the coats though."

" _Suits are easier to get off_ ," Beckett commented in Russian. She laughed slightly when her friend swore in the same language; though jokingly; and watched her walk after her wife. Turning her head, she said, "You do have some stealth for being so tall I'll give you that."

"I try," Castle replied as he'd approached her.

"You didn't find anything?" Beckett asked him.

"You did," Castle replied. He watched her go over to the registers and as they waited for the McDouglases to pay he said, "You won't let me see?" When she handed over what he quickly discerned was a coat he said, "This isn't your usual kind… the color I meant."

"It would be nice to have something different," Beckett said. When he kept looking at her she shrugged and said, "It just…"

"Spoke to you? Nothing supernatural about that," Castle said, saying the last rapidly before she could protest.

"I've had that happen a number of times," Beckett replied, tapping her hand on his chest.

Before she could step up fully to the open register Castle was taking the coat and paying for it before his wife could protest. When they were out on 4th Avenue he asked, "Did you get enough pictures of the mall?"

"Now I see why you wanted us to come early," Beckett told Skye and Mary. "And yes, I did," she then answered her husband. "The girls will love seeing those."

"We should come back with them," Castle said. "Let them run around."

"And promptly lose them," Mary said in amusement.

"She speaks from experience," Skye said, obviously amused as well. "Not the losing part though, we got quite a work out."

"After eating too so that helped," Mary added. "Here we are," she said after they'd stopped in front of one of the historical buildings.

"Here?" Castle asked in surprise as he was still studying the architecture.

"Here, let's go," Skye told them.

Beckett was surprised they needed to go up to the third floor of the building but when they were seated at a table next to the windows she said, "This isn't bad."

"I know," Skye said knowingly. "The view isn't exactly the greatest but still, it's good food."

While they were waiting for the carts to begin coming around Castle said, "We're going to go swimming after this."

"Come with us," Beckett said.

"You need someone else to race with?" Skye asked. "We will join you," she reassured her with a smile. "It would be quite nice to relax."

"Here's the food," Castle said before he spoke to the woman, hoping he had the right language. Luckily it was and he was soon getting some containers of food for them. As they began to eat he brought up their daughters' video and they began to talk about their kids and the next day while they made their way through their meal.

* * *

Floating on her back Beckett looked up at the sky and could just barely make out the stars before she heard the movement of water next to her. "You're bored already?" she asked, moving to tread the water.

"No but I think Skye and Mary are," Castle replied.

"No we're not," Skye called as she saw the two looking at them.

"Why-" Castle started to say before his wife stopped him from speaking.

"She asked her to," Beckett murmured to him indicating Mary as Skye was taking off what was covering her bikini.

"Sorry," Skye said after she'd dove into the water and resurfaced next to them. "Someone thought I was moving too slowly."

"Clothes slow you down," Castle said. "And I swear I wasn't making that dirty."

"Close though," Mary said as she was with them.

"What do you think," Skye began.

"Of today?" Beckett asked. When the investigator nodded she smiled and said, "It was nice, some interesting moments."

"Are you talking about the moments at Old Town or with that horse?" Mary asked with a smile.

Sighing Beckett said, "I don't know why you're making a big deal out of that."

"It was impressive," Skye explained.

Shaking her head Beckett changed the subject, talking about their plans for their last day in the city, still remembering that moment when they'd left the restaurant only an hour and a half before.

* * *

 _"_ _You were right, the food was great," Castle told Skye and Mary as they stood just outside the door of the restaurant._

 _Beckett was going to speak; to agree with her husband; when she heard a horn from a car honking followed by the loud neigh of a horse from the street. She saw a carriage near them and the horse trying to rear up on its hind legs. She took off immediately and ran to it, not caring about the cars around her as she called up to the animal in Irish. She wasn't sure if it would work but when the horse stopped trying to rear up she reached out, letting it smell her hand. "_ Easy _," she whispered to him, still speaking in Irish._

 _Castle wanted to run after his wife when he saw what she was doing but Skye held onto his arm._

 _"_ _Best you leave this to her," the investigator said simply. "You know she's able enough."_

 _Though he wanted to protest Castle finally just nodded and then turned back to his wife to see if she was alright._

 _By that point Beckett hand pressed her hand to the horse's forehead and she murmured to it before scratching him carefully. When he didn't shy away she looked at the driver and said, "Why do you have this horse out in traffic? This horse is not trained for it."_

 _"_ _The stables are-" the driver said slightly in annoyance._

 _"_ _Get him back to it," Beckett said shortly. "Find another horse and train this one sufficiently before you do this again." She watched the man leave, grumbling under his breath before walking to get back into the carriage. She hurried over to the sidewalk to get out of the street, keeping her eyes on the horse as it rode away._

 _"_ _It was spooked?" Castle asked when she walked over to where they were waiting._

 _"_ _Badly," Beckett said with a sigh. "Hopefully he'll listen to me." She looked around at some people who were staring at her and said, "We should get back to the hotel."_

 _"_ _Sure," Castle said easily._

 _Beckett was pleased when her husband took her hand and they started to make their way over to the parking lot at the mall. She couldn't help herself and she looked over to the street where the horse had gone, breathing out slightly before she felt him squeeze her hand. Looking at him she smiled and then let him wrap his arm around her as they followed the McDouglases across the road._

* * *

"I'm sure he'll be okay love," Castle commented, smiling at his wife as they were stepping out of the pool.

"You know he's right," Skye commented. She smiled when Beckett glanced at her and explained, "The driver wasn't the owner of the horse."

"You could tell," Mary added. "So, with him going back now the boss will wonder, he'll have to say and hopefully he'll be fired."

"And better, the horse will be better trained," Skye commented. "I wouldn't worry about it."

"I'll try not to," Beckett said before she stepped into the Jacuzzi after the others.

"You said you'd try not to worry about it," Castle said teasingly to his wife.

Beckett gave him a quick look before she said, "Not that our book."

"This is the one we're back in, right? Sky and Marion?" Skye commented. "So glad my name isn't Robin."

"We wouldn't have chosen Marion if it was," Castle said. When his wife glanced at him out of the corner of her eye he said, "Okay, I would have but with her now I learn to exercise some thought in our writing."

"Which is why your books are working," Mary said.

"Thank you," Beckett said with a smile. She then looked at her husband and said, "I'm wondering about the method of murder we started out with."

"You should use what happened on the hill," Skye said. When Castle and Beckett looked at her she smiled and then said, "It would be if you worked it over and made it fit you two." She glanced at her wife and said, "You could even have me involved."

"We're not killing you," Beckett said quickly.

"Don't give me that look," Skye told her friend as she was staring at her incredulously.

"You want…?" Mary asked her wife. When she nodded the doctor sighed and said, "I think she wants you to put her in a coma."

"Not me," Skye said, splashing her wife before she gave her a quick smile. "Sky. It would give a reason for Moor and Green to be there you know."

"I like that," Castle said, looking to Beckett. "Marion calls them in to assist the LAPD."

"Should we try a rogue investigation?" Beckett asked. When he looked at her, slightly taken aback, she said, "You really didn't think I'd figure that out."

"Have I mentioned she can read my mind?" Castle asked the McDouglases.

"I don't think her abilities go that far," Skye said. "She just knows you really well… are we leaving?" she asked her wife when she realized that she was getting out of the small pool.

"We are, goodnight, see you in lobby at a quarter to nine," Mary said.

"Hey," Castle called to the two women when they were at their chair they'd staked out and were drying themselves. "Can you pick her up?" he asked.

"That I can," Skye said, taking on an Irish accent. "But I'm not a body builder so I don't do that for long."

"She doesn't," Mary said wryly, looking at her wife. "She usually just throws me in the pool. And stop looking at her physique; that's all mine."

"Goodnight you two," Skye called before she and her wife left.

"I thought that was going to end differently," Castle said to his wife when they were alone. "And by the way I wasn't looking at her physique, just the muscles she has I guess she does get them from lifting pieces of fuselage."

"She works out, both her and Mary," Beckett said in mock exasperation. She then became serious and said, "Would we be able to do that with the story? We have a lot of it down so far."

"We do but the fantastic thing about word documents is that you can write in them," Castle said. He laughed when she splashed him and he wiped the water from his face before saying, "We can." He became thoughtful and said, "We'd have to do some work on the killer."

"Make it killers," Beckett said, getting up.

Castle followed her and said as they went to grab their towels, "What if there was more than one killer?"

Glancing at him Beckett was quickly able to discern what he was doing and she said, "I would agree but we'd need some kind of proof to issue the warrant to search the house; it's under both their names."

"The fire," Castle continued while they were drying themselves. "The fire was started in two different points. The fire at their home, two different points. We tell the judge they're suspects in not one but two fires, we get into their house. You better handle him though Green you know my track record with him is… not good."

"I'd have to see what I can do," Beckett said as they went into the hotel. She lowered her voice when they were inside and then said, "But you really should just apologize Moor."

"See?" Castle told her. "What about a couple of men, playing straight but together and…"

"You can't figure out a motive?" Beckett asked with a smile as a frustrated look flitted across his face. "We're reworking it so let's wait until we're back home to better plan it," she told him, patting his arm. When they were on their floor she then said, "I think we should do something with the girls when we're back too."

"We said we'd spend the day with them," Castle replied.

"No," Beckett said. "Take them somewhere."

"A small trip," Castle stated as he knew what she meant. They were at their door then so he moved to unlock it and set the do not disturb sign on the knob before he stepped in and locked it. "What was going through your mind?"

"There's one place we haven't taken them to," Beckett replied. "One place where we really, really should have. And in the fall…"

"Niagara Falls," Castle said at the same time as her. When she looked at him in surprise he smiled and said, "It was a lucky guess, it was either that or Buffalo but…"

"Though now I'm wondering if we should leave that for Spring Break," Beckett said.

"You're right," Castle said, making her stop when she was next to him. "Just in case," he said in a low tone of voice as he pressed his hand to her stomach. "Oh, you know there's a museum up north, for kids-"

"The Museum of Play, I know and yes that too," Beckett replied with a smile. "Maybe for your birthdays." She gently took his hand off her stomach and squeezed it saying, "Perfect for you both. Oh! Wait, not… not yet," slightly laughing when he'd slipped his hand under the bottoms of her bikini.

"Just proving I am an adult," Castle said. He moved his hand away and followed her into the bathroom saying, "But we'd need to take a weekend trip with the girls. What about Adirondack Park?"

Thinking that over Beckett finally nodded and said, "It could work but it's over six hours there from home."

"Then we go this weekend," Castle said rapidly.

Smiling Beckett said, "We ask Alexis and Louis to bring them to the city-"

"Have our parents join us and we go up to Paradox Lodge," Castle finished.

"Paradox Lodge?" Beckett asked.

"I didn't go with anyone," Castle said quickly as she was scrutinizing him. "Really," he said as she quickly looked doubtful. "I went on my own, kind of an… attempt to write but it felt too much like _Misery_ ; minus the broken legs which was a good thing."

"Of course," Beckett said. "But could we get any rooms?"

"I'll call Alexis tomorrow, then your dad, my mom and last the lodge, see what we can do," Castle replied. "And leaving from the city shaves an hour off the trip."

"I know, I'm fine with that," Beckett said, pulling him into the shower. "But that's tomorrow morning."

"You're okay with a trip like this while school's going on?" Castle asked swiftly before she kissed him.

"You would have known if I wasn't," Beckett said with a smile at him. When he grabbed her, and pulled her roughly to him she wasn't surprised when they kissed. There was little surprise when they kept going after some quick breaks to breathe and when they finally stopped she said, "We… we're wasting water."

Castle found he had a hard time speaking at that moment; made more pronounced with the way his lips were throbbing; so he merely nodded and then helped her stand under the water before he did the same himself. He helped her dry off before he let her do the same to him though he wanted to hurry. Luckily, she didn't take long and once the towel was wrapped around his waist he leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Are you sure?" Beckett asked, her heart thudding heavily in her chest as he'd spoken in Irish.

"I wouldn't have suggested it," Castle said, unable to help smiling as he put questions like that to her so often to make sure.

" _Touché_ ," Beckett replied, leading the way out into the bedroom. "If you think you can you're welcome to try." She wasn't surprised when he didn't look pleased at her response and she reminded him, "The last time you did this I couldn't move for… a while."

"I remember, I did a great job there," Castle said. "And I'll remind you," he said hurriedly, rubbing his thumb over her lips when she started to talk. "I couldn't either. How did I not crush you?"

"You're still conscious of that," Beckett said simply. "Come here," she said, her tone of voice changing without her putting conscious effort into it. She didn't hesitate when she realized how she likely sounded to her husband, instead pulled him with her the rest of the way to the bed before she turned around to face him. When he tugged; hard; on her towel to remove it she was literally breathless as she could sense how the atmosphere of the room had changed. When he picked her up she didn't stop him or protest as there was only a step and she was down on the bed. She reached for her husband's towel and it was discarded with hers before he joined her.

Castle was going to do something to tease his wife; he hadn't had the chance to think that out yet; when she pulled him directly on top of her. He had no choice; and found he didn't care; kissing her deeply as legs wrapped around him tightly immediately. He grunted as that served to press their lower bodies together and he wanted to speak but needed to wait until they were parting. "This… I'm not asking but-" he started to say.

"I know and however much you want to change you can," Beckett said. She gently raked her nails over the back of his head to his grunt of obvious delight and then said, "I'm giving you full permission." A second later she was gasping when he suddenly thrust against her and said, "Help me."

"That was involuntary," Castle said quickly as both their hands were grasping his erection so he could enter her.

"It wasn't," was all that Beckett could say when he was nearly slamming into her. Her cry was a mix of pleasure and surprise as from his touch she'd thought he would start out slowly. But she found that she didn't really mind it as he was shortly after thrusting, making her hold on to him a little more securely with all her limbs. Her nails dug into his shoulders and after she could work through the sensation of friction between them she realized she could also feel at her fingertips his muscles as he worked. "Rick…" she breathed out hard.

"I know… we had to do this," Castle said.

"Oh god… you're cheating!" Beckett replied, her voice going up at the end as he was trying to change the angle of his hips at the same time. She closed her eyes tightly as he'd turned their bout into a quickie. But seconds before she gave into the temptation of letting go of her control that was beckoning her in between her legs where he was moving furiously he stopped. When he withdrew from her soon after she let out a groan of irritation, not caring what it sounded like. She forced her eyes open and looked up at him saying, "Are you going to do that the rest of the night?"

"Tell me you didn't enjoy it," Castle said. "And I can stop."

Breathing out Beckett sat up and literally threw herself at him, trying to kiss him once she was close enough. But he was doing so to her and she found herself on her back again. The instant the kiss ended she turned him onto his back before he was flipping her around. She couldn't help the laughter that escaped her lips as they did that a couple more times. When they'd finally stopped they were both sitting up and she said, "We're not going to do that every time we stop are we?"

"It takes up too much energy," Castle replied before he helped her onto him. He began to kiss around her neck before he murmured he loved her in Irish against her skin. Carefully he pulled back so he could look at her and said, "You're in charge here."

"I realize that," Beckett said with a nod. But she still didn't move, watching him bow his head to her breasts. She cried out softly as he playfully nipped at her skin around her nipples before he soothed it with his lips and tongue. He then kissed her before nipping at her again and she felt as if she could almost sob in relief when he finally took her right nipple with his mouth. Stroking at his hair she tried to look on while he was going over both her mounds but finally it was too much and she stopped him. "Fuck me Rick," she told him when he looked at her in surprise. She made no vocal reaction when he laid her on her back a little roughly, merely sliding her legs as high up his sides as she could before he moved in her again. Holding onto him tightly with her arms as well she dug her nails into his back, feeling him again in every way she could when he sped up like he'd done before and hoping he would take a little longer that time.

Though he'd told himself not to go back to what he'd done when they'd started Castle couldn't help himself and was moving rapidly again. He kissed her deeply when she made a slight noise of protest and they were soon embroiled in it, fighting each other with their tongues until shortly after they had to part, gasping for air. "I…" he tried to say. But his efforts were mainly focused on moving within her and he couldn't finish what he was going to say. He watched his wife closely as after that he could see the signs she was close again to her peak. He kept going for as long as he possibly could until he stopped, panting heavily for air while he struggled to keep himself above her.

Though she tried to keep her husband from leaving her Beckett was unable to, groaning at the moment he was fully out of her. "I don't know why I agreed to this," she said with a sigh as he lay next to her with his arms around her.

"You always say that," Castle replied. "Well, whenever we do this."

Turning onto her side Beckett kissed him as soon as they were facing each other, caressing his cheek while he held onto her tightly. When they parted she watched him climb over her before he pressed against her there. She could feel his erection against her and she was soon gasping as his hands had come up to cup her breasts. When he began to fondle them she told him, "You're not in the right position."

"Oh…" Castle began before he moved to the help her prop herself up on some pillows. As soon as she was prepared he leaned down but not to go to her breasts, instead he took her lips, feeling her legs wrapping around him tightly. When he felt her starting to move against him he pulled away and said, "What if-"

"Then you need to do something," Beckett told him, interrupting him.

With a near growl Castle kissed her but quickly before he moved to go to her breasts. He pressed his lips against them first, letting himself look up at his wife as he did so as he wanted to see her reactions. When she bit her lower lip, his heart started to beat a little faster at the sight of that but he forced himself to focus his attention on her. As he'd done earlier he nipped at her mounds very gently before he soothed the tender bites with his tongue. By the time he stopped doing that her fingers were through his hair and he tried not to move to enter her again as his body was telling him it needed to do. He then proceeded to suck at both her nipples, feeling her crying out above him and moaning. Finally, he pulled away and pulled her with him over to the edge of the bed and before she could say anything he was sinking into her body again to their groans of joy. He took only a moment to feel how hot and wet she was with her arousal before he moved once more.

Holding onto her husband tightly with one hand Beckett was using her other to push herself up so she could attempt to look down in between them. It wasn't possible but she did have a view of their bodies moving and the sight was making her throb even harder. That time she was sure that they were finally going to climax when her husband stopped. "You-" she started to say in protest before he was suddenly kissing her.

Castle was a little startled when his wife was suddenly pushing him up until he was sitting with his foot on the floor as hers had been. When he was looking at her he said, "Do you want to move?"

Thinking about that for a moment Beckett looked around the room and then smiled as her husband was kissing at her neck. She smiled; though only briefly; before she turned to him and they were kissing each other. She held onto him tightly and wasn't surprised when he pulled her onto his lap. She let her fingers go where they could touch on him, feeling him shudder each time she moved to somewhere new. When he moved away from her she was going to answer his question that she hadn't yet but he laid her down before she could. With him pressed against her side she watched as he cupped her breast and immediately discerned what he wanted to do. "You're welcome for the idea," she said with a smile before that soon left her face as he was running his thumb back and forth over her left nipple.

Castle didn't say anything to that; instead he focused his attention on running his hand over her body as much as he could reach before he came to the apex of her legs. Watching her intensely he then worked his hand down until she spread them both for him and he began to gently play with her clit. As soon as he first touched the heavily swollen nub he wasn't surprised when she was crying out and he was careful not to get too carried away. Looking up at her when he stopped he was going to ask her his previous question again when she was grabbing him and nearly slamming him down onto the bed. "Wait," he nearly wheezed out as she grasped his length.

"I get to play too," Beckett told him as she smirked at him. She was glad he was distracted by her manipulation on him as her voice had been distorted. After so many times of her pleasure being interrupted it was starting to affect her and she could tell it was doing the same to her husband as he was able to move and grab her by the shoulders. They stared at each other and she whispered, "Fuck me against the desk, like you did before."

"Thank you," Castle said after he'd torn himself away once he'd stopped nearly trying to devour her mouth with his own. "I was thinking the same thing myself," he explained when she was understandably confused. He helped her off the bed and managed to snag the comforter to cover the desk with once they were at it. Waiting for her to lean back against it he cupped her breasts again before they kissed and they were soon working together to get him back inside of her. Groaning in joy as she was still tight around him he gave a thrust and warned her, "I'm not going to do this for long."

"How much longer… will you… will you do this?" Beckett said, hoping he knew she meant the entire time and not just in that position.

"I don't know," Castle groaned as he had been able to discern that. He then looked in between them, watching their bodies moving together, and he was soon breathing harshly as she pulled him against her body. Her breasts against his chest and it didn't matter that they weren't moving at the same pace as their quickies, he had to stop. "I can't…" he began, nuzzling the side of her head with his lips.

"Then finish," Beckett urged him. At first, she thought he would comply with that as he was leading her back to the bed but once she was laying down she looked on as he began to kiss over her body. "I thought you said you couldn't!" she tried to protest though her tone was too flooded with her joy for her to sound close to minding it.

Castle didn't answer, since he couldn't as he was too busy dragging his lips over her as slowly as possible. Though he was using that to try and delay their end he found that it was making things even more difficult. The feel of her skin under his lips was silky smooth and he was trying not to become rough on her as his body was throbbing headily before he'd kissed his way down to her feet. Pressing fervent and heated kisses to the tops of her toes he moved back up to her and said, "Do you want to be on top?"

"No, I just want you to finish," Beckett said, amazed she'd been able to speak as the pleasure had risen in her with every shock she'd gotten from her husband's lips. She waited for him to lower himself to her, reaching in between to grasp his erection before he slid within her. Though it wasn't the first time that night he'd done that she still moaned in delight when she felt him firmly sheathed within her. He was still and she took the time to just feel him, moaning again as she could sense he was throbbing. "You're not going to finish, are you?" she asked him.

"Just a little longer," Castle said, kissing her as he started to move. He thrust rapidly again, as fast as he'd done the first time and he then began to kiss her. He was as rough as their bodies were until finally he moved away and he began to kiss at her neck as he stopped moving at the same time.

"I was there!" Beckett said, hitting her husband's back with her fist. Though because they had been moving together for so long it wasn't that hard of a hit and she breathed out before she was gasping as her husband was nibbling at her collarbone before going to the junction of her shoulder and her neck. She held onto him a bit harder with both her arms and legs as he bit a little more at that point and began to wriggle against him. She wasn't doing that on purpose, it was a natural reaction to what her husband was doing to her, and she could tell that it was affecting him. A short cry left her lips as he thrust again and she could tell that something had changed that time around.

Castle was whispering to her, mixing up Irish and English as he commanded her not to climax yet and at the same time interrupted his words by kissing her. He spent so long doing that that he nearly forced her to the edge before he was ready. So he stopped again and said, "After this we're going to… I hope you'll come."

"Just keep moving, please Rick," Beckett outright begged him. Before he could say anything to that she was bringing him to her lips and they were kissing again. But that time they weren't really frantic, more sensuous than anything else before they parted. She gave him a nod and sighed in relief and pleasure as he began to thrust once again and she could feel how deep he was. The friction; for all she had to likely be saturated around him; was intense and it blew her mind he could do that after how long he had been moving within her that night. "I… Rick… love I'm… I love you… I'm coming!" she managed to say somehow seconds before her orgasm struck her. Her back was arching and she nearly clawed at his back as the ecstasy was so concentrated her heartbeat was roaring in her ears and her heart itself was thudding heavily in her chest.

Castle was joining her very shortly after she had begun, too even with her to try and delay his own pleasure. He tried to keep to his rhythm but couldn't, knowing she didn't mind as she was reaching above her to the headboard. He watched her pressing against it and when she began to move faster he realized she was orgasming once more. He thought she'd be alone in that but very shortly after he was yelling, thrusting harder again though he was already going as fast as he could. Instead he became a little wilder until he could feel her heels starting to almost beat against his ass. "Kate… I love you too," he managed to breathe to her.

Though she was aware that her husband would know she was orgasming for a third time Beckett couldn't help crying out to him that she was doing so. After she had said that she began chanting his name, needing that as a kind of anchor as she could feel she was dangerously close to passing out. She had no clue how long after that Castle began to climax with her but was relieved that he did. They were moving together so hard as their bodies took over trying to desperately merge more than they already were that she was limp when everything finally stopped for her. She was breathing hard, feeling her husband taking the last of his pleasure with two rapid thrusts before he was nearly collapsing on her.

The room was quiet for some time, the two silent as they tried to get their energy back from how draining their climaxes had been.

Castle was the first to move and he said to his wife, "Are you okay?" When he didn't get a response, he knew he would have been concerned if he hadn't seen her the exact same way the last time he'd done what he'd done to her. He then began to pull away from her when she made a noise of complaint and he said, "So you're still with me."

"Jerk," Beckett said though she wasn't particularly angry with that. She wrapped her arms around him as he came back down to her and embraced him while they kissed, sighing in pleasure when they parted. "That was… incredible," she told him seriously.

"We broke our record," Castle said to her, feeling her hands move to his back. "Did you break the skin?" he asked, feeling her rubbing a certain point on it.

"No," Beckett said as she let her fingertip run along one of the indentations her nails had made. "Did you want me to?"

Thinking that over for a moment Castle then said, "Better you didn't though I would have had a reminder of tonight every time I looked at the cuts."

"Pervert," Beckett replied with a smile. She was going to say something else when he leaned down and kissed her tenderly before she could speak telling him, "But I don't think you'll be able to forget it."

"Would you?" Castle asked. When she just smirked at him he breathed out, "Vixen," before they were kissing again. That time things were frantic and though he could feel the arousal starting up within him again he stopped and pulled away before moving away from her enough to lie on his back. He expected her to come to him so when she did soon after that he had his arm out to her to take her and he gently stroked her hair as she propped herself up next to him. "Are we finished tonight?" he asked.

"I think so," Beckett said. "We have a lot of walking tomorrow." She then smiled and said, "I can only imagine what Skye would say if she saw me limping."

"Would she?" Castle asked.

"She would, in Russian so you wouldn't understand," Beckett replied.

"Then we should get some sleep," Castle replied as she laid down. He cupped his hand over her shoulder and said, "It was great though."

"It was but let's leave that for another night," Beckett told him.

"Back at home?" Castle asked her with a smile.

"I miss our bed too," Beckett replied. She glanced up at the headboard the best she could and said, "This one was not helping me."

Reaching up to it Castle could feel why and he said, "At least it wasn't going to fall on us."

"I guess that's one way to look at it," Beckett replied. She smiled at him and said, "Tomorrow night let's try something else."

"What?" Castle asked, suddenly eager at her talking about the next night already.

"I'll trust you to think of something," Beckett told him with a smirk as he was looking down at her and could see her doing that.

Shuddering almost violently Castle said, "I love being with you, you know that right? And I love you too… desperately."

Knowing what he was feeling with that Beckett moved onto her back and brought him with her telling him, "I love you too Rick."

"Always?" Castle breathed out as he entered her at her unspoken command.

"Always lover," Beckett moaned before he was crushing his lips against her.

The two began to make love then, moving very slowly and deliberately as if to counter their passionate and wild lovemaking before. They kissed and murmured to one another while they caressed as well all during that time, their pleasure building up as they made sure they could feel it together since it was taking them over and they allowed it to gladly.


	32. Animals Have The Right Of Way

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: I loved getting the feedback I did for the last chapter, as usual, and will go ahead and get started on my thank yous for that! MsNYC (Interesting to see you're wondering if the spirits they ran across are trying to tell Beckett something. And I'm definitely not surprised you're hoping the message was she's pregnant already or that you've got your fingers crossed still for that, lol. Nice to see it was great writing as usual of course. I'm not surprised you can't wait to see/read about the girls soon, though I am pleased to see that too! And not surprised either you mentioned home sweet home, lol, since they've been gone from there for a while!) and  
TORONTOSUN (Very nice to see you thought it was good writing with Castle and Beckett exploring in this chapter, tried to write that well! And happy to see you thought it was a good love scene between them too!).  
Thanks so much for the reviews, I loved reading them as usual and appreciate the time taken to write them out to send them my way!

A/N #2: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song _Wild Life_ by Paul and Linda McCartney, from the Wings album that's the same name.

Animals Have The Right Of Way

The last cry of pleasure echoed off the walls of the room and the two on the chair were relatively still, their bodies shuddering in the last of the aftermath of their lovemaking.

"There was a part of me that thought the chair was going to collapse," Castle told his wife seriously, smiling up at her as she caressed his face.

"I'm not surprised, come on," Beckett said.

"Where… where are we going?" Castle asked in surprise, pausing when he felt her getting off him. He wasn't surprised when she didn't say anything to him and instead just went to the bed. But he was slightly taken aback when she threw some pillows down and said, "Why-"

"Help me," Beckett said. Once they were set she laid down, making sure her hips were propped up by the pile. "You forgot," she told him.

"I didn't think you'd want to do that," Castle told her seriously. "You're not worried, are you?" he said in slight concern.

"No," Beckett said. "I just want to make sure we take every chance we can." She smiled when he lay down on his side next to her and she said, "We don't have that much time."

"It should be enough, right?" Castle asked, taking her hand and entwining their fingers.

"Hopefully," Beckett said with a smile. She looked up at the ceiling then and said, "You're worried."

"About what?" Castle asked, trying to sound startled though he wasn't.

Looking at him then she said wryly, "Rick, you said yesterday I can read your mind. And no, I don't mind going to the zoo without our daughters. Why do we have to absolutely go with kids?"

"Okay I'm just making sure," Castle said. He had to move then to get his phone and looked at the time saying with a sigh, "Two minutes."

"Are you still hungry?" Beckett asked as she was watching him.

"Oh no, I just hate to move now," Castle replied. "But we do have to go," he added when her phone's alarm started to go off. They got up together and when they paused to kiss he couldn't help himself, pressing his hand over her abdomen.

The two dressed quickly as they turned their attention from their lovemaking to their day out, soon leaving the room hand in hand to make their way down to the lobby. The McDouglases were there and after they'd wished each other good morning they went out to get their car and Mary drove them towards the zoo.

"It looks like I was right," Skye commented when her wife had parked the car. "Not very crowded at all."

"What… you got the tickets already?" Beckett asked in surprise when her friend handed her a piece of paper.

"We did, we have a connection here after an investigation I did here since last year," Skye replied. "You have unlimited rides on the Skyfari with that too."

"Then we should go," Castle said. "And by the way thanks for these."

"It's not a problem; we're happy to go," Skye said. She and Mary led the way up to the entrance and once they were inside she said, "You two want to take your picture now?"

"No," Beckett said with a smile. "We'll wait until we're back around at the bigger viewing area for it."

"We can go to it right now," Mary pointed out to her.

"Come on love," Castle told his wife with a smile. He took her hand and they walked to the left of the flamingos to the wider railing to look at the birds. He got his phone out and then held it above them, moving it around for a while before he then snapped the shot with a cluster of birds behind them. "I'm sending this to Alexis," he then said.

"Eliza will be with them soon," Beckett pointed out to him as it was nearly time for their youngest's school day to end.

"True but I know Alexis," Castle said as he pocketed his phone once the message was sent. "She'll wait for Julia to finish with dance class before she shows them."

"So how do you want to do this?" Mary asked them. "We'll let you lead the way."

"At one point we'd like to go on our own, let you two do the same," Beckett told them.

"Okay and we'll let Kate and Skye go off on their own too. Maybe before dinner," Mary said to Castle.

"Wait a minute," Skye said first as he was nodding in agreement with her wife. "You don't need to do that."

"We're friends too you know," Castle told her. "We won't mind going around at all."

"Okay then we'd like to go backwards from the way we went last time," Beckett said after she glanced at her husband.

"Well before that, would you like to go to the children's section first?" Skye asked them.

After thinking for a moment Castle and Beckett looked to each other before the latter said, "I think we should; the girls are going to notice we didn't go."

They made their way over to the section but detoured at the Reptile House when they got there as they all agreed to look through that first. They split up, Castle and Beckett insisting as they recalled how Mary had reacted when they'd last been there with the couple.

"And there they go," Castle said in amusement as he looked after Skye and Mary and saw the latter grasping onto her wife's arm tightly. "Or she goes I should say; it applies to just Mary."

Looking over from the green snake they'd stopped in front of Beckett smiled and said, "You're jealous."

"See? You read my mind," Castle said jokingly. He wasn't surprised when she gave him a look and said, "I don't want you to be disgusted or scared, just… holding on to me."

Beckett gave him a lingering stare before she walked over to the next reptile and she wasn't surprised to feel him standing directly next to her. "At least we're going through this together," she said after she'd taken a picture of another snake.

With a smile Castle reached for her free hand and kissed it tenderly before they were walking around again. He stayed close to her but tried not to get too close as they were nearing the entrance; having crossed paths with the McDouglases at around the halfway point. When they had finished and saw the two women there he asked, "Did you go through the whole thing?"

"We did," Skye said with a smile, glancing at her wife. "Though the end was at a steady clip. Shall we continue?"

Walking over to the Children's Zoo the four went through it quickly, Castle and Beckett trying their best not to miss their daughters too much when they passed the small playground at the start where one little girl was playing. When they had left they made their way to the area past the Reptile House that Skye reminded them about and walked around the different animals there rapidly before they went to the trail that would take them to the tiger habitat.

"You mentioned a workout at Horton Plaza," Castle commented as they were starting to go up on an incline.

"You've been here before," Mary said in amusement.

"And to California; we can be quite hilly," Skye said. "Mountainous even."

"Thank you Snagglepuss," Castle commented, laughing when she pushed his shoulder slightly

"We're here," Beckett said, having been listening to them with a slight smile on her face.

"I'm relieved you two don't mind these after your experience," Skye commented after they watched the tiger that was napping against the glass. "Also relieved there aren't any kids at the moment trying to tap on the glass and bother it."

"I wasn't going to," Castle said quickly when his wife glanced at him. "The girls would be livid if I did."

Beckett smiled but it soon dropped off her face as she thought of their daughters. Shaking her head, she said in a low voice to him as they let Skye and Mary start down the path ahead of them, " _I don't know why I'm missing them as much as I am_."

" _We know they won't be coming out here this time_ ," Castle replied, taking her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Nodding, though she didn't think that was the reason, Beckett eventually said, " _We're not doing this again for… awhile_."

" _I thought the same thing myself_ ," Castle replied. He then saw they were approaching a habitat and said, " _Do I have to let you go_?"

Merely smiling Beckett slipped her hand from her husband's and prepared her camera for the moment the okapi in the enclosure would stop walking. She heard a sharp intake of breath next to her as the animal began trying to take some leaves from a low hanging branch and she looked at Skye and Mary; who were next to them; not surprised to find they were staring at him as well.

"I… was going to sneeze, excuse me," Castle said, stepping away from the three when he saw they were looking at him.

"There are times when your husband's a bit off," Skye said jokingly to her friend as Beckett was taking a picture.

"He's not off," Beckett said, shaking her head. She walked over to him; relieved when the McDouglases stayed where they were; and said, "You're a horrible actor."

"I tried," Castle said, not surprised she'd seen through his excuse. " _Is it… disgusting of me to say I thought of something just now? For tonight_ ," he began, hesitating as he didn't know how to translate perverted into Irish and went with disgusting instead.

" _No_ ," Beckett replied. " _I thought it was going to take you until the giraffes to be honest_." She smiled when he stared at her in obvious surprise and then told him, " _Don't tell me what exactly you have in mind until tonight; I don't want to walk through this thinking of that_."

" _And what am supposed to do_?" Castle asked in mock annoyance. He smiled when she didn't say anything and he followed her after Skye and Mary to the hippopotamus habitat just past the okapi.

"Ever think of going to see these in the wild?" Skye asked the two.

"No, have you?" Beckett said, looking at them from the shot that she'd taken.

"She's been to Egypt," Mary said. "You might as well have mentioned it."

"Another one of your investigations," Beckett said as she recalled the list they'd seen. "Egypt Air?"

"I went out to the Nile after the case was closed; I had one day until my flight; and I went on a cruise with some of my colleagues and we saw these," Skye replied. "Staring at the boat it was… a little eerie. You know they're quite dangerous."

"I've seen on those wildlife shows," Castle commented.

"I've read," Beckett said. When the others looked at her she said, "I do read other books besides mystery."

Castle was a little startled when Skye started to shoot off titles of books about Ancient Egypt he knew his wife owned and were in their library. He watched them go and said, "Maybe I should read those."

"I did," Mary said as she knew he was looking at her questioningly. "After she gushed about them."

"I should ask," Castle said as they followed their wives down the path. "Are we leaving at six?"

"We don't have to, if you want to leave earlier we don't mind," Mary replied. "Why?"

"Are we going to Point Loma?" Castle asked. When she nodded he then said, "It still closes at eight?" When she looked at him with a perplexed look on her face he said, "Sorry, I was thinking of setting something up at our room… mine and Kate's."

"You don't need to," Beckett said, standing in front of them. "We're ahead of you," she told the two to their expressions at seeing her.

"Great to see you woke up _grá_ ," Skye said teasingly to her wife as they approached the next habitat.

Watching them walking ahead of them again Beckett said to her husband, " _You really don't need to_."

" _I felt what I thought of needed something special_ ," Castle said with a shrug.

" _It doesn't have to be_ ," Beckett reassured him. "And while you two were talking I got a text from Alexis."

"You did?" Castle asked in surprise.

"I did, they have Eliza and she wants to talk to us," Beckett replied.

"Did she say why?" Castle asked as he followed her over to the railing of the habitat.

"She wanted to see where we were," Beckett said. "But Alexis told me to wait until Julia got home to call them."

"And you're going to?" Castle said as he watched her take pictures of the monkeys and otters they saw below them.

"She should be gracious and wait for her sister to be able to see us too," Beckett explained. She watched as her husband nearly protested before he stopped and became thoughtful and she told him, "We are trying not to spoil them."

"Right," Castle said before they went to the other side of the path where there were some water buffalo looking animals.

"Alright," Skye said when they'd left the habitat. "We can go one of two ways."

"I thought you'd say," Castle said when she didn't continue and while his wife was taking the map out of the bag that had been holding her camera.

"You can read," Skye told them teasingly. "I'm going to remind you about the hills though; one of those trails."

"Which is where we're going now," Beckett said easily as she put the map away.

"You know the pandas…" Castle said jokingly as he pointed over to where the entrance to that habitat was near them.

Walking past some animals on the way; including different types of birds; Castle said, "Eliza's still working on those worksheets, right?"

"She is," Beckett replied before she heard her text alert message. She checked her phone and said, "Not now." She handed her phone to her husband when he looked at her in surprise and said, "But she will later."

Taking it in confusion Castle looked at the screen and let out a laugh when he saw the picture of their youngest looking seriously at Rita as she was wrapping up the dog's right ear with gauze. He then looked at the message his daughter had sent with the picture and saw Alexis had said Eliza would get to her worksheets after lunch. "I guess she will," he said, looking up at his wife.

"What's the joke?" Mary asked, stopped with her wife a bit ahead of them.

When Beckett handed her her phone Skye looked down at the screen and said, "You can tell your dog is very well trained," amusement laden in her tone.

"We made sure that she was," Castle said. "And apparently Rita's very happy to help her out in practicing."

"I wonder if she would be a vet," Mary said as she'd looked at the picture at the same time as her wife.

"If she wants to we would support her in that," Beckett commented as they started up the path again. They were silent as they were going at a fairly steep angle so she concentrated on not running into her husband as he was holding her hand. When they had reached the zebra habitat she said, "I didn't answer her yet."

"Go ahead," Skye said, taking pictures. "But you might want to hurry."

"Why?" Castle asked, turning from reading the message his wife was sending to Alexis.

"They're going to start running around," Mary answered instead.

"How can you tell?" Beckett asked, sending the message quickly and looking up at the two. Before either could answer they all looked into the habitat as the three zebras in the clear area started to run around the dirt.

"Don't call me Dr. Doolittle," Skye said, pointing at Castle. "Their stance. Did you notice them at all when we first reached here?"

"I… you're right," Beckett started to say as the investigator was directing the question to her before she nodded, recalling how the zebras had been standing. She glanced at her husband and smiled at his baffled expression before she told him, "They're not horses but close enough."

"I don't know if you'll be able to take pictures now," Mary said as they watched the three chasing each other.

"I've got that one over there," Beckett replied as she had finished taking a shot of the fourth zebra who had been eating up until that point. "We can keep going."

"Oh, one thing I remember," Skye said as they went back up the rest of the hill. "Was Louis with Eliza in the picture?"

"To the side," Beckett answered. "I'm assuming Alexis asked him to help though Eliza knows not to do anything to hurt the dogs." When the woman nodded and turned back she glanced to her husband as he was trying to take her hand. She carefully brushed it away and slid it into his arm to grip the upper part of it with her hand.

"I hope Alexis films her playing," the two said at the same time. They looked to one another and laughed before they made their way over to the polar bear habitat after the McDouglases.

* * *

"I don't know that we should fasten these," Louis was saying to Eliza as he watched her wrapping the dog's paw.

"No, Mommy and Daddy say I have to take them off," the little girl said. She then looked up at the young man and asked, "Do I?"

"They're right, better you let her go on without them," Louis replied before he looked up as Macca walked in followed by his girlfriend. "Is he still looking after Julia?"

"He is," Alexis said, smiling as Macca was sniffing at the bandages on Rita. "So, is she all better?"

"The horsie needs her shots," Eliza said seriously as she was putting on the toy stethoscope in the children's play doctor bag that was hers.

"Is she alright there?" Louis asked as he and Alexis watched the little girl listening to the side of the Ibizan Hound's head.

"Yeah," Eliza nodded. She then moved on her knees to sit in front of Rita and pressed the stethoscope to the dog's chest. "Good girl Rita," she said, hugging her tightly before giggling as Macca sniffed at her face. She then reached for the toy syringe and pretended to give the dog her 'shots' before she looked at her sister and Louis. "All better," she said, giggling shyly when she saw Alexis was filming with her phone.

"Lunch is ready so you should get those bandages off her," the young woman said to her boyfriend and sister.

"Are you gonna send that to Mommy and Daddy?" Eliza asked her a little shyly while she was helping with the gauze.

"Right now," Alexis replied. "I told you they said they were happy to see you taking care of Rita."

When Rita was cleared of the bandages Eliza hugged her around the neck tightly, giggling heavily when the dog licked at her and Macca soon joined in as she lay on the floor.

"I have to wonder you're not taunting your da and step-mum," Louis said under his breath to Alexis as she was filming again.

"If I asked them when they got back if I should have waited to send this and the other clip they would be adamant that they would choose I send them," Alexis said as she was doing so. "I'll have to film Julia dancing a little… they'll want to see her too; especially Kate."

Louis nodded and then moved to help Eliza clean up her toys so they could go to the kitchen and eat their lunch.

"Are Mommy and Daddy having lunch now with the aminals?" Eliza asked as her sister helped her onto her chair.

"Not yet," Alexis told her. "It's still early for them."

"Oh," Eliza said. As her sister and Louis were bringing the plates to the table she thought about the different animals that her parents would see while they were eating too.

* * *

"We'll meet up in the front again in an hour and a half," Skye was saying. "Any objections?" she directed to the other three with her. When no one said anything she smiled and said, "See you at two thirty." She watched Castle and her wife walk away from them and said to Beckett, "Luckily they do get along."

"They do," she replied. "They're going to the aviary, what about us?"

"I'd like to go back up to the polar bears," Skye said. "Hope you don't mind joining me on the Skyfari."

"Let's go," Beckett replied, gesturing to the path outside where they'd eaten. They walked back to the entrance in silence for a while before she said, "Has your father sent you anything about the girls since we got here?"

"You could tell?" Skye asked, looking sideways at her.

"It wasn't that hard to," Beckett replied. "I would feel the same if the situation was reversed."

"They're in school right now so nothing much he could send," Skye then said. "But we did get to talk with them last night at least. But it's not all that bad, we're not so far from them and we'll be home on Friday. By the way; thank you for wanting to get home so soon. We'll hopefully manage to beat traffic."

"That's where you'd want to fly?" Beckett asked as she smiled.

"Exactly," Skye said. "Still a bitch to get in though so you take what you get."

"Maybe you should have looked for kids before you said that," Beckett commented as her friend was looking around.

Skye merely shrugged before they walked the rest of the way to the Skyfari and soon they were on their way in one of the buckets. "Watch out," she said suddenly as she aimed her camera.

Beckett was slightly startled before she turned her head after sliding to the other side of the bucket. Seeing the plane she said, "It's a Southwest though."

"Doesn't matter; I've been wanting to get a shot of this for years but it never happened," Skye said. "Until now."

"Did you get it?" Beckett asked, trying not to smile as the woman took a few shots.

"I did," Skye replied. "I'll have to remember to show Mary when we're back together."

When they were off the ride Beckett said, "You know when you mentioned them getting along as they left us?"

"Yeah," Skye said, looking over at her.

"Have you ever asked Mary what they talk about?" Beckett said.

"I did, I'd wondered the same as you," Skye said as they reached the polar bear habitat and entered it. "And she said they've talked about our kids and yours-"

"Of course," Beckett and Skye said at the same time.

"And sometimes about writing," Skye finished with.

"Does Mary write?" Beckett asked in surprise as she didn't know that about the woman. Something came to her and she said, "She writes songs."

"She does but she never wants to put music to them," Skye replied.

"A lot of Paul's songs were for the women he loved," Beckett said, guessing the reason why. "Unless they're explicit," she commented.

"No, she wouldn't put that into a song," Skye said. She became thoughtful and said, "I suppose she feels too exposed doing that."

"If you're working on it together it wouldn't be that bad," Beckett commented.

"We'd share that?" Skye guessed. When her friend nodded she said, " _Is that what goes on with you writing_?" speaking in Russian.

" _Somewhat_ ," Beckett said though it was spoken more uneasily than she'd wanted it to be.

" _What_?" Skye asked, turning her attention from the polar bear outside in its habitat to her.

"Rick's _tried to convince me to write myself_ ," Beckett said. " _By myself I should say_."

" _As in your own work_?" Skye said.

" _I'm not comfortable enough in that_ ," Beckett replied. " _So I stay where I'm more at ease_."

" _Which could work for_ Mary _and her songs_ ," Skye said thoughtfully. " _I suppose I should have her work on them with just me at first, see where we go from that_."

Looking at the bears ahead Beckett said, " _What was it like after the first time_ Mary _kissed you_?" in Russian still.

Startled Skye said, " _What_?"

" _You can hear me_ ," Beckett said. " _You didn't really continue after she kissed you for the first time_."

"Oh, _after I walked her to her car_ ," Skye said after thinking for a moment. " _She was going to get in but we ended up having what I suppose you'd call the_ … Minnesota _goodbye. She couldn't go_."

" _It sounds like she was afraid you'd go back on the date_ ," Beckett commented wryly as they were leaving the habitat.

" _Most likely_ ," Skye replied. " _But finally she kissed me on the lips; cutting me off mid-sentence at the same time; and then left, making sure to text me once she got home_."

" _To… let you know she got there_?" Beckett asked in slight confusion.

" _No, to remind me about the date and that she was eager for it_ ," Skye said. " _I think the idea of her being eager with us staying at the house was enough for me to lose my last doubts. So now you know the story_." They were stepping out of the gated part of the area and she said to her friend, " _Did you two try something after we told you about our first night together_." When she heard the scuff of her friend's shoe on the ground as they were continuing through the zoo she smiled and said, " _Natural you'd want to try_."

" _You still sound British even speaking Russian_ ," Beckett told her.

"Don't try to deflect," Skye said.

With a slight sigh Beckett said, " _I thought we could play with being other people but… it's hard to do that_."

" _Just that dress of yours_?" Skye guessed.

" _Just the dress… so far_ ," Beckett replied. When her friend rolled her eyes, they began to laugh together before they headed around the zebras again to go look at the pandas for a second time.

" _Your costume for next month is ready_?" Skye asked while they were waiting in line, still speaking in Russian.

" _I can't believe the holiday is next month_ ," Beckett told her friend. " _But yeah, my mother in law told me it was finished. You'd want a picture_?"

" _Definitely_ ," Skye said, nodding her head.

" _Do you do anything for Halloween_?" Beckett asked her.

With a smile Skye said, " _We dress up together, not a cutesy couple thing but so we go together_."

" _And this year_?" Beckett said as they stepped ahead.

With a wider smile Skye said, " _Pirates_."

"Read _and_ -" Beckett started to say.

" _No_ ," Skye interrupted her with a laugh. " _No just… pirates, on our own_."

" _You'll have to send a picture of that_ ; Rick _will be interested in seeing how authentic you two are_ ," Beckett told her.

" _I will, send me yours that day too_ ," Skye said before they had made it to the actual habitat where the pandas were. They went to the path where they could linger, leaning against the railing next to each other watching one chewing on some bamboo before it lay on its back. Finally, they shook themselves and when they left she asked; that time in English; "What's on your mind?"

"How did you learn to throw the knife like that?" Beckett asked her. For a moment, she thought that Skye was a little perturbed at the reminder of that night as she wasn't answering. She was just about to retract her question when her friend then spoke, relieving her worry a bit.

" _After the case I worked with you in the_ Hamptons _I decided that maybe it'd be a good idea to know to throw a knife as I did_ ," Skye began, reverting to Russian. " _So, I bought a set of knives; flat enough to hide in a sheath in my boot at the top; and then practiced… and practiced… and practiced_."

" _How_?" Beckett asked.

As they paused at some lions Skye answered while she looked at her friend out of the corner of her eye, " _A tree, I marked it with a circle of paper and just tested the best way to throw. My first inclination was to toss it the way I would throw a cricket ball but it wasn't any good. So I took the American technique; overhand; and it eventually worked out. That would mean you might be fairly good at it_ ; Rick _too_."

" _But_ -" Beckett said hesitantly as her husband still wasn't the best thrower.

" _Reward him_ ," Skye said teasingly. She laughed when her friend playfully pushed her and she clasped her shoulder with her hand for a moment before they continued down towards the front of the zoo.

* * *

"That'll take care of the rest of lunch," Mary said jokingly as she and Castle finished descending from the tiger trail.

"I know… they aren't here yet," Castle said, looking around them and not spotting their wives. "Maybe they went to the Reptile House."

"Skye probably wanted to go through it without someone hanging on her arm like a coward," Mary said with a laugh. "Maybe I should text-" she said before they heard a cry to their right.

"That sounded like my wife," Castle commented, a little surprised to hear that kind of cry from her.

A shout then and Mary said, "That's mine, we better see what they're doing." With him they then walked over to the children's zoo past the people around the Reptile House to where they'd heard their wives.

Just before their spouses had heard the cries Beckett and Skye were walking together over the bridge out of the children's zoo as the former had wanted to get a picture of the macaws that were out at that point for her daughters. They were nearly off that bridge when unexpectedly Skye grabbed Beckett, pushing her but not letting her go until she was suddenly crying out loudly as water shot onto her.

"Skye!" Beckett said in slight annoyance. She then pushed her to the next jet of water, laughing a bit at her friend's yell before all of a sudden she turned to her. Before Skye could really get far she was taking off, knowing the investigator was chasing her.

"Guys?" Castle asked, startled when his wife suddenly ran around him and held onto his back.

"I think she got your wife under the shooting fountain," Mary said in amusement.

"She got me too," Skye said. "I suppose I deserved that," she said with a laugh.

"At least it's not cold," Beckett said, to let her know that she wasn't angry at her. "How was it?" she then asked her husband as she stepped around from behind him.

"Nice, we were looking at the tigers again," Mary replied. "And before that we looked at the pandas."

"We did that too," Beckett said. "Last."

"It was fun for us too," Skye said. "So, are we splitting up again?"

"I think so," Castle answered that time. "We'll call when we're ready?"

"Just text," Skye corrected. "Have fun."

"It's five thirty at home," Castle said to his wife as soon as they were alone.

"We can call them but I want us to go to the giraffes first, take a picture there and send it to them to let them know we're ready to talk to them," Beckett said.

Castle immediately took her hand as soon as she had finished speaking and together they walked back over to the Australian section where the giraffes were. When they could see the animals, he studied them to see where they could take the best picture.

"There," Beckett said, pointing to one that was near the fence. She waited for her husband to get his camera ready and while he was doing that she turned her head, kissing his cheek tenderly before he took the shot.

" _I missed you_ ," Castle said, saying that in Irish before he hurriedly texted to Alexis that they could talk then.

" _So did I_ ," Beckett replied. She took his kiss as he leaned down to her; since it was a rapid one; and said, "They're ready," as his phone had sounded with a text. "Wait," she said, grabbing his arm.

"What?" Castle asked in concern as he looked at her.

"It's Julia, you better call them now," Beckett said. "Nothing serious," she told him quickly as she saw he still looked worried.

"Right," Castle said though he was still uneasy, taking her to the end of the habitat. He took her tablet that had been in the bag with her camera and got it ready before they could see their daughters on the screen.

* * *

Writing on her worksheet Julia got off her desk chair and was about to put away the last bit of her homework when her big sister walked in. "I finished; sorry I didn't do it downstairs," she said.

"Don't worry," Alexis said reassuringly, taking her paper. "And you don't need to worry about this you got everything right." She watched her sister nod and then said, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Julia said, shaking her head rapidly. When she felt her sister's hand on her shoulder she looked up at her before nearly bursting into tears as Alexis was looking at her in such concern. But she just managed to keep herself from doing so and she said, "I need to talk to Mommy… on my own."

"Okay," Alexis said easily. "We'll let her know once they call us. But for now, would you like to have Mari come over?"

"S-she asked me to go over there when we were getting changed," Julia replied.

"Why didn't you ask me?" Alexis asked.

"I said… no," Julia whispered.

"You didn't have a fight, did you?" Alexis said worriedly.

"No, can we call Mommy and Daddy now?" Julia said rapidly. "I want to talk to them, see if they're having fun without us."

"I'm sure they are," Alexis said, still worried especially at her sister changing the subject so forcefully. But she knew Julia wasn't going to talk so she followed her downstairs, hearing her phone giving off a hawk's cry when they reached the bottom. "Lizzy changed the sound," she said to her sister's confused look since she'd used to have a bicycle bell sound on it. "Oh, lucky you, Dad and your mom are ready to talk to us."

"Good," Julia said in heavy relief. She hurried to the family room ahead of her and then went to Eliza saying, "Mommy and Daddy are ready!"

"Jules," Alexis said with a smile as she came into the room after her boyfriend had given her a kiss on the cheek before going upstairs to talk to his family. "You didn't let me show you what came with their text."

"The other picture," Julia said eagerly before she and her little sister hurried to look at it. "Oh, they did go to the giraffes like I asked," she said happily.

Alexis hugged both her sisters in her relief at seeing Julia smile before she said, "Should we talk to them?"

"Yes!" both girls said at the same time before they hurried to sit on the coffee table while their big sister got the TV ready. "Hi Mommy! Daddy!" they said when they appeared on the screen.

"Hey, you three," Castle said, waiting for Alexis to sit with the two. "How're you doing?" he asked as he looked over at Julia to check on her.

"Good, it's raining," Eliza said. "But we're dry."

"Good to hear," Beckett said, her eyes on her oldest for a moment before looking at Eliza. "How was your day sweetie?"

The little girl started on her day at school eagerly until she finished with her playing vet with Louis and Alexis until they went to the dance class. "Now the horsies are all better," Eliza told her parents with a wide smile on her face.

"We saw what a good job you were doing," Beckett let her know with a smile. "And after you came back home?"

"She was practicing her dancing she got to learn today," Alexis said with a smile.

"Good idea," Castle said, he and Beckett having received a clip from the class from his daughter. "Did you have fun with your Paso Doble?"

"Yep," Eliza said, nodding her head rapidly before she looked over at her sister.

Julia then spoke about her day at school before she got to the dance class and there she told them about it in detail before she said, "You saw where I said about the competition right?"

"We did," Castle said, glancing at his wife as he realized then what she'd sensed about their daughter could be about the competition. But as he studied the look on her face he saw that she hadn't really reacted to that and turned back to their oldest as she continued to talk.

"Well the special judge is a pro that's all that Ms. Grey knows," Julia began. "But she said we'll meet them after they announce who got first, second and third."

"What about the marathon dance?" Beckett asked.

"She said it's gonna be…" Julia started to say before looking at her sister.

"Two minutes and thirty seconds," Alexis answered. "That's if they make it all the way to the end though, they'll be tagged out when the judges say."

"I'm sure you'll be able to make it sweetheart," Castle said as he couldn't help noticing the uncertain expression on the girl's face.

"Maybe you should start running with me in the mornings on the weekends," Beckett said. "That would help your endurance."

"Okay," Julia said with a smile.

"How was your homework?" Castle then said.

"Homework," Julia said, shrugging before they all laughed.

"What about you?" Eliza asked eagerly.

"There's one thing we need to talk about first," Castle said. "About when we come home."

"You're not staying longer are you?" Julia asked in obvious concern.

"No, we were talking about maybe taking a weekend trip around home with you three before winter sets in," Beckett said, seeing that concern in her oldest and becoming a little troubled again. "And we decided to visit Adirondack Park where we'll stay from Thursday until Sunday morning. Just a quick trip."

"All we'll do is relax and do some hiking… canoeing-" Castle began.

"Kayaking," Beckett interrupted.

"If they have that," Castle said before he smiled. "I already got rooms for us and your grandparents; Louis too. But maybe you three don't want to go…"

"Yes we do!" the girls cried out.

"It'll be even better going now," Alexis said, fighting her laughter as her sisters looked at her when she didn't agree with them. "Since the leaves are probably starting to change color. I'm in and I'm sure Louis will love to go."

"Okay, we will," Castle said. "You'll need to come and get us with the cars; your gram and Jim will be with you too."

"Do they know they'll be?" Alexis asked.

"They do," Beckett replied. "We called them at lunch and they're ready to go. In Martha's case that's literal, she was going to make us bring her back to the Hamptons."

"She had a suitcase ready to go and everything," Castle said.

"How's the zoo?" Julia asked.

"Fun, we split up just before we called you," Beckett said first. "And before that we went all together. But we still missed you being here to see everything."

"Did you take lots of pictures?" Eliza asked hopefully.

"Of course," Castle said. "I'm very sure your mom took at least one of every single animal we saw."

When the girls cried out their thanks for that Beckett told them with a smile, "You're welcome I was happy to."

"Are you gonna eat dinner there?" Julia asked, suddenly not wanting to say goodbye yet as she knew she would need to talk to her mother and was nervous to.

"No, we're going to Point Loma; where we ate with you upstairs and saw that sea lion," Castle said, describing it so Eliza would recall.

"Mommy can-" the little girl started to say.

"If we see one I will," Beckett promised them. "We'd better let you go; you need to have dinner so you won't be getting to bed too late."

Sharing a smile with his wife at their daughter's groaning Castle then turned back to them and said, "I love you Julia and Eliza and Alexis and we will talk to you tomorrow… I think from Balboa Park," looking at her then.

"Most likely," Beckett said with a nod. "Around this time probably."

"We'll let you know if we're ready," Alexis said. "I love you Dad; you too Kate."

"Love you too Alexis," Beckett said, smiling slightly. "And thank you again for watching them."

"It's not a problem," the young woman said. "And stop thanking me I've loved getting to watch them; Louis too." There was a part of her that wanted to comment to her father and stepmother that she didn't know how they still found time for themselves alone with two kids but she held back. While she knew her stepmother would understand that comment she wasn't exactly sure how her father would react. So she kept quiet, watching as Julia spoke next.

"I love you Mommy," the girl said. "Have fun today and tomorrow."

"We will," Beckett said.

"I love you too Mommy," Eliza said, waving to her.

"Oh! Daddy, we love you too," Julia said, realizing that somehow they'd switched from their father to their mother.

"Yeah, lots Daddy!" Eliza said when she realized that as well.

"It's okay, have fun tonight and get to bed when your sister says," Castle replied. "We'll be home soon."

"We can't wait," Julia said.

After saying goodnight to the two Julia watched the screen go blue before she turned to her sister, wanting to ask her something but not sure how she could do that exactly.

"Text her and just press this button when she answers," Alexis whispered as Eliza had run over to where the dogs were laying on their beds.

"Thank you 'lexis," Julia said as she embraced her sister as tightly as she could.

"Text her," Alexis urged her before kissing her forehead. "Lizzy," she called to their little sister. "Want to help me tell Louis about our trip?"

"Yeah!" Eliza said, hurrying over to her sister and taking her hand.

Grateful that her sister didn't say anything to her not following them Julia was rapidly texting her mother before Beckett almost instantly texted back.

 _Mommy I need to talk to you. Alone, please_.

 _Of course, I'll call you right now sweetie_.

Julia then pressed the button Alexis had told her about and when her mother appeared on the screen she said tearfully, "Mommy I don't think Mari wants to be friends with me anymore."

"Why would you think that?" Beckett asked, shocked but schooling her features not to show it.

"We were talking after the dance class," Julia said, doing her best not to cry so she could explain clearly. "And I was talking about how I thought Amy should dance since she can do that for a long time. Mari said that she could but I was better at the steps and that was most important. And that Peter and I were gonna be the best."

When her daughter stopped there Beckett wanted to ask her daughter what happened after but didn't, knowing Julia would talk when she was ready.

"I… I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her cheek," Julia said, nearly wailing. "And we were still getting dressed and she didn't have her shirt on and neither did I! She probably thinks I'm weird and-"

"Julia," Beckett interrupted her as she could tell that was going to be the start of a tirade. "Sweetie what happened after you did that?"

"I threw on my blouse and ran out," the girl mumbled, bowing her head in shame.

"And did you talk to Mari at all?" Beckett said. When her oldest shook her head, she smiled slightly and said, "Then how do you know what she thinks?"

"But… I'm her friend and I kissed her cheek when she was… still getting dressed! Friends don't do that… I know when we were in Europe they kissed both cheeks but not just one and hugging like that… you do that with Daddy!" Julia said. "And we do that with you and Daddy too but it's really fast. I… I stayed there a little."

"Well you were reacting to what she'd said," Beckett told her daughter calmly. "So, you were touched by her compliment." She waited for Julia to add something; that she had enjoyed the kiss or something like that; but when her oldest didn't say anything she then became thoughtful and said, "You know she's probably feeling a little hurt at the way you left her."

"Oh no," Julia said mournfully. "She asked me to go over to her house today but I never answered. Now she really does hate me."

"She might not if you talk to her," Beckett said tenderly. "Just say that you felt embarrassed kissing her since you haven't done that before like that right?" When Julia nodded she said, "Tell her that you were thinking of how people kissed our cheeks in Europe to greet us because that's what you were thinking of right?"

"Yeah, when Paco kissed Daddy's cheeks while they played the horseshoes and won together," Julia said with a small smile. "I just forgot her other cheek."

Beckett nearly sighed when her daughter's cheeks flushed but she didn't continue and she then said, "And you were also still changing so that made you embarrassed too."

"It did," Julia said seriously. "Oh, thank you Mommy… can she come over?"

"For dinner; no spending the night since you do have school tomorrow," Beckett said. "And of course if her parents say it's okay."

"Thanks," Julia said gratefully. "I wish… you were here," she whispered.

"I will be soon, I promise," Beckett replied. She then said, "Would you want to invite the Fosters to come with us?"

"I… no," Julia said though she was very reluctant. "Let's just make it a family trip. I want to be greedy."

"Me too," Beckett said with a smile, knowing that her daughter was referring to her and Castle being with them. "Go see her but please take an umbrella if it's still raining and invite her to dinner."

"If she wants to come over," Julia said a little nervously.

"She will," Beckett said simply.

"Okay. I love you Mommy, so much and I'm giving you a big hug in my mind," Julia said, blushing slightly.

"So am I and I love you too," Beckett replied. "You'll canoe or kayak with me, right?"

"Yep," Julia said before they laughed together and said goodnight. When the screen was blue she turned it off and then got up to go to the stairs to find Alexis. Luckily her sister was coming down with Louis and Eliza and she told her about Mari coming over to eat.

"Alright but your mom is right; you need an umbrella," Alexis said, taking her shoulder and leading her by it to the foyer though Julia was in front of her.

Once she had on her rain galoshes, rain slicker and umbrella Julia said goodbye to them and set off on the beach to walk around the Foster's home; the route safer and one she knew well even in the rain. At the patio door, she took a deep breath and then reached up, knocking on it before David stepped up to open it.

"Hey Julia, I'm glad you're here," the man said. "Mari's been worried sick about you; she thinks you're mad at her."

"Oh no, I… just was stupid," Julia said, blushing in embarrassment. "Can I see her?"

"She's up in her room," David said as he took her umbrella and had her take off her galoshes.

"Thanks," Julia replied. She was about to go when she stopped and turned back to him saying, "Can she come over to my house for dinner?"

"I'll ask Rebecca and see what she thinks," David replied.

Julia rushed through the house; knowing it as well as her own home; and up to the second floor and Mari's room, the first on the right. The door was closed and she was going to open it; what she'd always done before; when she paused and then knocked.

"Come in?" Mari said in surprise as she didn't recognize the knock as belonging to her parents. "Julia!" she cried when she looked at the door and saw her friend walking inside. She slid off her bed and nearly ran to her saying, "I'm sorry."

"About what?" Julia asked, stunned.

"I… did something to you," Mari said slowly as she was confused about that herself.

"No, I did," Julia said. And there she began to apologize as she and her mother had talked about and finished by saying, "I really am sorry, I just was stupid."

"No you weren't," Mari said quickly, a relieved smile on her face. "You just did it really quick."

"My daddy would say all of a sudden," Julia replied.

"Yeah, so that's okay," Mari said. "And that's nice that they kiss cheeks like that."

"It is," Julia said, hoping she wasn't blushing again. "Oh, I asked my mom if you could come to dinner and she said okay. Want to?"

"Yeah, did you tell my…" Mari began.

"Your dad, he said he's gonna ask your mom," Julia replied. She took her friend's hand tightly and said, "Let's go see if they say yes."

With that the two left after Mari had nodded rapidly before they headed down to the kitchen where David and Rebecca were. When they allowed their daughter to go Julia helped her friend bundle up for the rain. They skipped the best they could across the sand, laughing happily together and both feeling relieved that they were still best friends.


	33. Animals Have The Right Of Way (Part 2)

"So what does this mean exactly?" Castle said as he walked up to his wife.

Taking the bottle of water he handed to her Beckett said, "I don't know, she doesn't of course."

"Of course," Castle agreed, nodding his head. He became thoughtful before he said, "But they'll be okay now."

"They will, you know Mari will forgive her no matter what," Beckett said. "I just wish we were there."

"So do I," Castle said, pressing his lips to her temple.

"Are you jealous?" Beckett asked in amusement as she knew the answer already. But when her husband grew serious she was a little startled and then concerned as she watched him, wondering if she was wrong.

"No," Castle said before he switched to Irish. " _This is one time where I would say being a woman works out_."

" _She's still a girl_ Rick," Beckett said.

"Then the fact that you're her mother first off is why I'm not jealous," Castle said. When he saw her looking at him he said, "Yes because you were her mother first."

"Okay," Beckett said laughingly. "We should start heading back it's nearly time."

"There's nothing else you want to look at?" Castle said as he looked around them.

"No, come on," Beckett replied, taking his hand. She led them for a little before he was walking next to her but she didn't let him go. Instead she squeezed his hand and was going to speak when she suddenly felt her phone shake in her pocket. Taking it out; though she had to let go of Castle's hand to do that; she saw it was a text and she opened it, seeing it had a picture attached to it.

"What is it?" Castle asked his wife when he heard her laughing softly.

"She debated for a while before she sent this," Beckett said as she handed him her phone so he could see.

The picture was of Julia and Mari, apparently walking to the house, in their rain slickers and the umbrellas behind them, and Castle smiled at the sight of it. "They're okay now," he said.

"That's true," Beckett said as she'd forgotten that. She then smiled herself and said, "I'm glad to see Mari wasn't completely mad at her."

"No," Castle said, nodding his head in agreement. "We'll have to ask her specifically what they did when they played."

"We will," Beckett said in agreement with him. "Did you see the message?"

"No," Castle said, taking her phone back as he'd already handed it back to her. He read the text; _Going home with Mari we're gonna play, thank you, love you_ ; and said, "You did a great job."

"I had to," Beckett said, shrugging her shoulders though she was still smiling. "Look."

Glancing ahead of them Castle saw that Skye and Mary were near one of the gift shops at the entrance talking together but they had their arms wrapped around each other and were close. "Well, were we doubting that they were in love?" he asked her.

"No, it's just interesting to see them doing this," Beckett said. "Normally they don't," she added swiftly as she was waving at the two women at the same time when they looked over to them.

"All set or did you want to look through these?" Skye asked when Castle and Beckett were with them.

"We'd like to get them a t-shirt," Castle answered first, looking at his wife.

With a smile Skye nodded and led them into the first one, walking after her wife who was going with Beckett. "Who're you looking for?" she asked the woman.

"I'm getting Eliza a polar bear shirt… if they have one," Beckett replied. "Rick is getting a giraffe one for Julia."

"What is it?" Mary said, slightly surprised when the woman looked at her and her wife.

Beckett told them both about what had happened with Julia, trusting the two and knowing they would keep the event secret for her daughter's sake. And since she was hoping to keep it secret she spoke in Irish, looking between the women once she was finished. " _Is… is this something we should be more worried about than I thought_?" she asked them in concern.

" _No but I worry just a bit about_ Julia," Skye confessed. " _Though you should know she's just concerned her friend would hate her for anything untoward_."

" _Then does she see herself as_ …" Beckett began.

" _Oh no_ ," Mary said that time. " _No. She's just worried she was untoward as my wife said. She and_ Mari _are close and I suppose… wait is she changing at all_?"

" _No_ ," Beckett said, shaking her head. " _She's likely a long way away from developing into a woman_ ," wording like that as she didn't know the word puberty in Irish. " _But she has thought about it_ ," she then added as she recalled her daughter's questioning.

" _As would happen_ ," Skye said with a nod. " _So don't worry, they've made up and I'm sure they'll be… back to themselves soon_."

" _Why did you hesitate_?" Mary asked her wife as she and Beckett; who'd chosen a shirt for Eliza at that moment; turned to look at her.

Beckett wasn't shocked when the two women spoke in Japanese for a little before they looked at her. " _You're both scaring me a little_ ," she told them honestly, using Irish.

" _You said she would be going to sixth grade camp_ ," Skye said. When Beckett nodded she then said, " _When we went we needed to shower communally. Has she ever done that before_?"

Before Beckett could say anything, Mary said, " _Better tell her what you ended up doing your week at camp grá_."

Sighing as she could tell from her friend's look that she would have to Skye said, " _I was so shy about showering with the other girls that I wouldn't get undressed and barely showered. I had to be talked to by my teacher but… I never was comfortable_."

Beckett was going to ask something when she stopped and then just nodded before Skye was talking.

" _I know what you're thinking and no, I was ten years old though I was surprised to realize these girls were like me under their clothes_ ," the investigator told her.

" _Best tell her to take a bathing suit, I think they let you wear that to the stall_ ," Mary said.

" _I will_ ," Beckett replied, nodding her head. "Well, I'm ready," she said as she switched back to English.

When Castle joined them the four paid for what they'd chosen for their daughters; Skye and Mary grabbing some zoo play sets for their daughters; and went out to the car. Mary drove them away from Balboa Park and they went the route that took them next to the airport.

Suddenly Skye; who'd been staring at the sky to the east; rolled down her window when they were driving parallel to the runway. She stuck her head out the window and then started to cry out, yelling as a British Airways plane landed.

"She'll get like this," Mary said to Castle and Beckett in case they were looking at her wife in shock.

"Can't help it," Skye said as she sat back down. She smiled at the two in the back and said, "We're not this close back at LAX."

"We understand, don't worry," Beckett said with a smile.

When they had reached the restaurant, the couples left the car and walked inside before Skye and Beckett left after telling their spouses what they wanted. They went to the outdoors and upstairs seating area and got a table against the railing, looking out on the marina and the view of downtown.

"Despite missing our kids," Skye began after they'd gotten enough of their view. "I think it went well."

"It did," Beckett said with a smile. "How often do you go there when you're here?"

"Once, despite the fact the animals are usually the same it's still interesting to see them; they're never doing the same thing," Skye answered.

"We try to go to a zoo when we can," Beckett replied. "Though we don't have as many as you."

"Well," Skye said, pausing as her friend laughed at the way she'd worded that. "We have a number I'll give you that. If you do that road trip through the state you were talking about Mary and I will definitely give you a list of the zoos there are to see."

"And amusement parks," Beckett said. When Skye looked at her in surprise she said, "For Rick."

"Ah," Skye said. When she then realized her friend looked like she was going to say something she asked, "What is it?"

"When Mary was looking at your suit yesterday-" Beckett began to say.

" _She was touching my breasts_ ," Skye said in Russian as she knew her friend was referencing her expression while her wife had done that.

" _You… she was_?" Beckett said. When her friend nodded she added, " _Right with me there_."

" _She becomes quite… focused_ ," Skye said. " _But I'm lucky she enjoys them_."

" _You too_?" Beckett asked.

" _It's a double-edged sword that_ ," Skye said, still speaking Russian. " _I was relieved they were so small when I finished with puberty as it meant I got less attention but I was worried_ Mary _wouldn't like them. I was very wrong about that. What about your husband_?"

" _That had concerned me too_ ," Beckett said after hesitating for a moment. " _But he doesn't… mind_."

" _I would imagine, the way your cheeks are on fire right now_ ," Skye said.

" _And_ Mary's?" Beckett asked rapidly. She smiled as the investigator's cheeks began to turn a heavy pink and then said, " _At least she didn't start kissing you with me there; she seemed enamored_."

" _She gets like that with me in a suit and we're quite pleased with one another's… attributes_ ," Skye replied. "So are you ready for tomorrow, the last full day?"

Realizing that their spouses must have come upstairs after the investigator had glanced past her Beckett said, "I think so. You two took a while," directing the last to her husband.

"We decided to wait for the meal, let you two talk to each other," Castle answered, setting down the tray that he was carrying. "Did you see any sea lions?"

"No, I was keeping an eye on it," Beckett said. "Hopefully a boat will come in and attract one," she added, looking back out at the water.

Once they were all eating they were quiet for a while until they were talking about the zoo and what they'd done when they'd been split up. After they had finished and started to make their way back downstairs Mary spoke.

"You said that Julia was going to be dancing a marathon dance," she said.

"She's right, we'd been wondering which one," Skye added.

"She said Swing," Castle said. When the two women looked at each other he couldn't help smiling and said, "You know how to dance that don't you?"

"We did after we learned to dance Flamenco," Mary said first. "We thought it would be fun."

"Is Julia secure with the dance itself?" Skye asked.

"Sure," Castle said first.

"I think he wants to see you two dance," Beckett said wryly after glancing at her husband.

Skye was going to say no when suddenly her wife was placing her hand on her arm. "Really?" she asked in slight surprise.

"Just a few steps," Mary replied.

"Alright," Skye said after she hesitated in her instinct to protest. She took off her jacket and handed it to Beckett.

"Do you need a song or anything?" Castle asked as Mary handed her coat to his wife as well.

"Hold on," Skye said in mock annoyance. She was on her phone and after giving it to him told him, "Just press play once we tell you."

Watching as the two women stood in front of each other Beckett thought for a moment to comment about the fact that there were people stopping around them but she knew they were both aware of it. So she was quiet as Skye told Castle play the song and she wasn't surprised to hear it was of Paul McCartney's version of _I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday_. But she was when she saw the two women dancing fairly easily, Skye even lifting Mary up above her slightly. They stopped before the song was over and once they had she applauded before she realized others were joining her.

"Oh, thank you," Skye said, looking at the people who'd stopped to watch them. She was startled when a few women walked up to her and asked for her autograph after they'd asked to make sure she was the 'NTSB investigator and had piloted Flight 139.' When they were alone again she said to Castle and Beckett, "At least some of them recognized you."

"It doesn't matter if they did," Castle said first.

"He's right, we've met enough people who do," Beckett added. "Should we walk down around the boats?"

"Let's go, one came in while we were dancing if we hurry we can see if there's a sea lion around it before they disembark," Skye said.

They walked down the path to the docks where the four began looking over the water to search for the animal. Shortly before they would need to get out of the way of the fishermen Mary pointed to their left where she'd spotted the head of a sea lion coming up above the water.

Taking a picture of the animal as quickly as she could before it disappeared again Beckett let her husband lead her back up to the path that was next to the restaurant. "I should have taken one with my phone," she told him as they were walking away from the building.

"Like this?" Castle asked.

"I should have known," Beckett said in amusement as she looked at the screen of his phone where he had a shot of the sea lion when it had come near them. "Send it to them tomorrow."

"I will," Castle assured her before they looked at where Skye and Mary were stopped.

"We were going to get some ice cream and walk down this way like we did before," Mary said first.

"But are you planning on going swimming?" Skye then asked.

"Yeah, why?" Castle said.

"We don't want to be out too late," Mary said, glancing at her wife briefly.

"I'm in complete agreement," Castle told them.

"It's fine," Beckett said with a sigh as the three looked at her. "But we'll split up here right?"

"Exactly what I had in mind," Skye said with a smile before they turned their attention to the stall that was selling the ice cream.

* * *

Breaking the water Beckett came up to the side of the pool and then held onto it before she said, "They should have been back by now right?"

"I guess everyone's at the bar," Skye said, coming up next to her. "What?" she asked when her friend looked at her.

"You're not wearing your cover," Beckett said.

Skye merely smiled before she was ducking underneath the water a second before her friend was fishing her back out. With a mock grumble she said, "You already seem to know why; judging by the smile on your face."

"I can guess," Beckett said. She then heard the door leading to the hotel opening and glanced over with her friend seeing it was their spouses. "Why so long?" she asked her husband after she and Skye had gotten out of the water and joined them at their chairs.

"There were a ton of people there," Castle replied after he was sitting next to her at her chair. "It looks like there might be a convention of some sort."

"He's right, one tried to hit on me," Mary said wryly. She wasn't surprised when her wife looked at her and she smiled saying, "I told Rick I hoped the line wouldn't take too long since I wanted to see my wife."

"And that worked?" Beckett asked interestedly.

"It did," Castle said when Mary looked to him to answer. "Quickly too which was amazing to see." He watched his wife sip at her drink and said, "Good?"

"Yes," Beckett said as she glanced at him. She set down the non-alcoholic piña colada and said to Skye and Mary, "I was going to suggest we meet in one of our rooms for breakfast but what about doing that Thursday before we go to the airport?"

"Better tomorrow," Skye commented. "We should just get something quick come Thursday to get you two to the airport in time."

"That's what we get for getting a flight at seven," Castle said with a smile to his wife.

"It's worth it," Beckett said at the same time as him. She shared a smile with him before they turned to the two women. "What time will you come over?"

"Nine," Skye said easily. "The museum opens at ten and since we're going to see two of them we should get there early."

"Alright," Mary said, finishing her drink first. "I'll be in the water."

After the woman had left them Castle turned with Beckett to look at Skye who was still staring after her wife.

" _You might want to calm down_ ," Beckett said wryly to her friend in Russian.

" _Can't, sorry_ ," Skye said, getting up as she'd finished her drink.

"Is that how we are?" Castle asked his wife as they were looking on while Skye dove into the deep end where her wife was.

"Probably," Beckett said. Since she saw both she and her husband had finished she said, "Should we keep going?"

"We should," Castle replied with a nod before they went to the pool and unlike their friends they went down the steps to the shallow end. They stayed there for a while before he followed his wife's lead to them where they stayed for a while treading water and holding onto the side of the pool.

"Do you realize we didn't really race last night?" Skye asked the others.

"You're not tired?" Castle asked, slightly surprised.

"Exhausted, just trying to see what you all thought about the idea," Skye said. "I figure a few more laps before we head over to the Jacuzzi."

"I'll follow," Beckett said, going after her. "I don't think they are," she commented when she glanced back and saw that Mary was climbing out of the pool. Though Castle was with her he had his eyes on her, by then standing in the shallow end along with Skye.

"She's going there already," the investigator said, watching her wife. "You took the odd way out _grá_."

"I guess," Mary said simply with a shrug before she and Skye laughed together.

"It looks like she ditched you," Castle commented to his wife as he walked up to her.

"You're going to blame her for that?" Beckett said to him with a smile.

"No," Castle replied as he glanced over to the Jacuzzi. "Should we join them?"

"I think so," Beckett replied. "They're not going to stay for that much longer." She walked a little ahead of him out of the pool before she went over to the two in the tub and said, "You two must have a buzz going on," as they were nearly on top of each other.

"No, that's her," Skye said with laughter in her voice as she looked at her wife who was nearly on top of her, holding her with both arms. "But I think we should get out of public before security is called on us."

"Already?" Castle asked once he and Beckett were sitting down on the other side of the couple.

"No, we'll wait a bit since you got here," Skye answered.

"But not for very long," Mary said easily as she moved to sit next to her wife. Though she had done that she was right up against Skye's side and was relieved her wife didn't say anything as she spoke with Castle and Beckett.

"I forgot to ask earlier how're your girls," the latter asked the two women.

"They're alright, they miss us but luckily they have school to distract them," Skye said, trying not to let on that her wife was trying to slip her hand between her legs.

"Ah, just a note we're in clear water," Castle said, not looking at them.

"Had to try," Mary said as the jets had stopped just at that moment.

"I think we should call it a night," Beckett said in amusement.

After Skye and Mary had agreed they got up and dried off, putting on their covers before they went inside and shared an elevator back up, saying goodnight at Skye and Mary's floor.

Alone in the car Castle said, " _I was tempted to do the same to you_."

" _I had a feeling_ ," Beckett said in amusement at his Irish. " _You think someone can hear us_?"

" _There is a camera_ ," Castle replied. " _And I'm not letting them see how you are_." When the elevator stopped at their floor he wasn't surprised when she merely glanced at him before walking out, leaving him to follow. He closed and locked the door behind them before he said, "We should take separate showers."

"Okay," Beckett said easily. She smirked when her husband looked at her; startled; and she said, "I could tell; who's first?"

"Me," Castle said. And with that he kissed her gently on the lips before he disappeared into the bathroom before she could say anything.

* * *

"Surprise?" Castle said when he heard the door to the bathroom open and turned to see his wife was there.

"I had a feeling you might do something like this," Beckett said with a smile as she walked up to where he was standing next to a pile of blankets and sheets up against the floor to ceiling windows.

"I was going to make a fort," Castle said. "But I thought you might not really appreciate it. Tea?"

Beckett looked at her husband at the quick change in subject and she glanced around before sitting saying, "You were going to build a fort."

"It wouldn't have worked," Castle corrected himself as he could hear the disbelief in her voice.

"Thank you," Beckett said, smiling as she was sitting down. "But this itself was a good idea."

"Great," Castle said.

Thinking of something Beckett said as she took the mug her husband handed her, "You didn't get the idea from Mary did you?"

"No," Castle said with a slight laugh. "Do you think she'd really suggest something like that to me?"

"I guess not," Beckett said. "I just thought of that because Skye mentioned the windows while we were walking around."

"What about it?" Castle asked.

"Just that we should move the couch so I could get a picture of the bay," Beckett said, nodding to where it was in front of the desk.

"I'm assuming they have one in their room," Castle said.

"They do," Beckett replied. "I should ask her to show me her shot."

"And show her yours," Castle replied. He watched her looking around and said, "How do you want tonight to work out?"

Sighing for a moment as she looked around the room Beckett said, "To be honest I'm tired."

"So am I," Castle said quickly before she could continue.

With a smile Beckett said, "But we could do something."

"Could or have to?" Castle said slightly uneasily. He was startled for a moment when she leaned over to him and brushed her lips against his. "It's could, right?"

"Want to sounds much better," Beckett said. "Anyways I do like this set up you have here."

"I wanted to kind of make it a nest," Castle said as he looked around them with her.

"It is," Beckett said.

Watching her Castle said, "Are you relieved?"

"About Julia?" Beckett asked instead of replying. When he nodded she said, "Of course but it scares me she had this reaction to just kissing Mari on the cheek; though she lingered a little."

Castle was about to comment about that before she sighed and spoke again.

"I get the feeling it was because they were changing; neither of them had their shirts on," Beckett told him.

"You're right," Castle said after thinking that over. "That's disturbing because they took baths together in Japan."

"Exactly," Beckett said. "But you realize what that means."

"They're growing up," Castle said simply. When his wife inclined her head once he then said, "We'd have to remind her of that."

Shaking her head Beckett told him, "She'll remember and I just remembered something I talked to Skye and Mary about while we were at the gift shop."

"I saw you with them looking serious," Castle said as she had made him remember. "And I was going to ask you but Skye distracted me."

With a slight nod Beckett told him what they'd spoken about concerning sixth grade camp and she said, "I can understand Skye being uncertain about that."

"You went through the same at camp?" Castle asked her, slightly startled.

"No, another girl did," Beckett corrected him. "But she just flat out refused to take a shower."

"She's…" Castle started to say.

"I don't know, I only met her at camp and I wasn't really friendly with her, she was with her own group of friends at the time," Beckett explained. She shrugged and then said, "For all I know she could have been gay."

"She'll take a bathing suit with her right?" Castle asked.

"Of course," Beckett said. "Do you want me to talk to her on my own?"

"Do you think she'd really be that comfortable with me there?" Castle countered.

"No and that's nothing-" Beckett began.

"You have to remember I would have to speak to Alexis on my own about things like this," Castle reminded her. "And what I wouldn't have given for a mother… or stepmother at that point. Refill?"

"Sure," Beckett replied, about to hand him her mug. "Wait," she said, pulling it back. "I better not."

"It's decaf," Castle reminded her.

"Still," Beckett said.

With a nod Castle took her mug and stood up, setting them next to the kettle he'd ordered from room service before he sat back down with her. "Does this bother you?" he asked suddenly.

"I think if it did I would have turned the lights on before joining you," Beckett said easily as he'd left only one light on; on his nightstand since it was further from where they were sitting. She brought her knees up and wrapped her arms around them before saying, "Do you think the girls will enjoy it?"

"The Adirondacks?" Castle asked. At her nod he said, "Of course, why?"

"I don't know," Beckett said, glancing out the window. "I'm terrified of them getting bored."

"You don't think I am too?" Castle replied, stretching his legs out in front of him though they were next to her.

"I knew already," Beckett said, looking down at his legs. "Should we get up?"

"I fit," Castle said as he knew she was talking about the space they had. "You?" When she shot him a look he reached out to her and then pulled her over to him so she was sitting on his lap, facing outside. He just held her at that point as they looked out and watched a few boats on the bay before he said, "I could easily fall asleep right now."

Laughing briefly Beckett said, "I don't think so." When she felt him freeze she pulled back and told him, "I can feel that."

"I debate if we should have changed," Castle said slowly.

"Don't, you don't need to," Beckett said in a rush before she leaned down to him to kiss him. That didn't last for very long before her husband was pulling away from her and she sucked in a breath of air as he laid her down on the blankets. "Where-" she started to say as he was tucking a pillow underneath her head. She didn't have a chance to finish that though as he was kissing her tenderly since she was quick to wrap her arms around him. She tried not to react verbally as he was pressing his body against hers and she was panting when he soon after pulled away.

"I realize I jumped the gun a little," Castle said in explanation as he helped her sit up. He assisted her with her clothes, having to suppress his desire to touch her as she was pushing his hands away carefully. He was relieved when they finished with his pajamas next and he laid her back down. "Since you're okay with this-" he started to say.

"I thought I mentioned I wanted this," Beckett interrupted him.

"Okay, wanted," Castle corrected. "Anything special?" He was a little surprised when she merely beckoned to him with her finger and he leaned down so she could whisper in his ear. He sucked in a deep breath when she had finished and said, "So you're sure," though it was essentially what he'd been wanting that whole day as well.

"What did I just tell you?" Beckett said in mock exasperation. She pulled on his back that she had her hands on and told him, "Now take me lover."

His body slightly shaking at her tone Castle tried to keep his attention on their kiss to keep it more than just brief. Luckily, he managed to become distracted by her lips and after some time; how much he couldn't figure out; he pulled away slowly. He could see in her eyes that she hadn't been kidding about the extent of her pleasure; part of what she'd whispered in his ear; so he steeled himself to have some kind of self-control as he leaned down to kiss her again.

Beckett found herself trembling when her husband began a series of kisses that were very quick but no less pleasurable and she already felt warm as his lips arched over her jaw and down to her neck. A gasp left her lips; at least she thought it was since she had no real idea if she'd managed to make a sound as the shock from his touch was instantaneous. "Rick…" she began.

"You said take things easy," Castle said in protest as he looked down at her.

"I know but… not that easy," Beckett said. She didn't know what made her do it; guessing it was her subconscious trying to show him she was serious; but she arched her back against him and felt him pushing down to her in response. "You already want me."

"I think you can see that besides feel it," Castle nearly hissed out to her as they did that a few more times. He swore severely in Irish before he crushed his lips to hers almost desperately and when they finally parted he saw her lips were heavily swollen. "Okay… so easy but not so slow you kill me later," he finally managed to say while he was panting.

"Exactly," Beckett said. She arched her neck for him as he came down to it and she cried out softly as he went straight for her pulse to the right. Clutching at him she tried to resist her body's urge to wrap her leg around him in an effort to hold him closer. She couldn't stop it though and was soon doing so before he moved away. She couldn't hold onto him at that point and just tried to watch him as he was kissing around her upper body. Shaking momentarily when her husband was meticulous in setting her aquamarine pendant in the hollow of her throat she said, "Are you-"

"I'm fighting with myself," Castle interrupted her, speaking honestly.

"You know I'll stop you," Beckett knew she would need to remind him. When he breathed out she caressed his cheek once before she drew him down to her and looked on while he went to her breasts. There was a part of her that became impatient when he merely brushed his fingertips over her right mound but the other was almost cheering in joy at the way it felt when he did that. She could feel her heart pounding hard and along with that the throbbing of her arousal. She cupped the back of his head and continued to watch him going over her, back and forth until he finally stopped and switched from his hands to his mouth.

As he proceeded to suckle gently at her right nipple Castle could feel his wife's reaction just before he heard it. Spurred on with the fact that he did know she was enjoying it he was sucking a little harder before he pulled away and moved to her other breast to do the same to it. He went back and forth and soon brought back his hands to stimulate her with them as well until he knew he needed to stop. Going lower he then trailed his lips in three lines down her abdomen. Along the left she was crying out, along the right the back of her hand hit the top of his head softly and when he ran his lips down the direct middle she was crying out and clutching at his head.

Hearing her husband hissing in pain Beckett managed to say an apology and told him, "You surprised me."

"Made you happy too," Castle said, moving up to kiss her. He was very gentle at that moment and when they were moving away from one another he said, "I can do two-"

"I told you what I wanted," Beckett said firmly to him. She wasn't sure how she did it exactly but she managed to reach out for his right hand to grasp it tightly for a moment before sliding it in between them carefully. Luckily, he knew what she wanted before she had to stop and he took over for her. The nails of her other hand that was on his back dug into his skin a little hard, making him grunt. She was going to apologize to him when he then kissed her and she went along with it as she found herself suddenly desperate to have a distraction. His fingers at her clit were making her writhe; though she couldn't move that much; and she felt an altogether different kind of shock that made her break away from Castle's lips, panting heavily as her moans slipped from her without her realizing for a moment that she was voicing them. Eventually she was able to stop and she reached for his arm to stop him as well.

"How close?" Castle asked, finding himself having to fight with himself as he was aching to move against her or inside of her; he wasn't sure which.

"Enough," Beckett replied.

"Okay so…" Castle began.

Feeling how tense her husband was Beckett ran her nails over his scalp gently to see his reaction. With him turning his head away from her and visibly clenching his jaw she had the answer to her unvoiced question so she whispered against his lips, "You can pleasure me now."

"Thank you," Castle said in obvious relief before he kissed her. It was a little rough, though brief, and he then moved down her body as he kissed her in much the same way. Her legs parted for him just before he reached them and he kissed around the inside of her thighs, going up as high as it was feasible for him to do, and down to her knees on both sides. Thinking that was enough to put some time between his touching her and what he was about to do next; also keeping in mind that she could easily stop him if she had any kind of protest; he pressed his lips gently against her clit. Her sharp intake of air made him pause but only momentarily before he was going lower. Tasting her arousal on his lips as he pressed them to her folds he had to pause again. It wasn't because his wife was crying out his name above him in obvious pleasure but more because he could also feel the extent of that arousal. He was hesitant in that pause before he then moved and kissed a trail back up to her clit where he took it to begin stimulating it.

At first Beckett forgot she wasn't on the bed, her right leg bent at the knee in reaction to her husband and it hit the window. If it had hurt she had no idea since the pleasure within her at what her husband was doing to her was masking it. The cool glass of the window made her grasp at it shortly after though there was no chance her nails could find purchase. She tried to get it still as she needed a distraction of some kind as things in her body were building up within her rapidly to her joy. She lost all sense of time and temperature as well as the glass she was pressing against became warm to the touch, from her touch. When her husband suddenly stopped she gasped out, luckily remembering what she'd requested of her husband before they'd begun. "Rick… I don't think I can… yet," she moaned as the ache of her body missing his stimulations was a little rough in that moment.

"It's okay," Castle replied, moving so he could lie down next to her. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and holding her to him couldn't help admitting, "Don't move too much."

Beckett laughed softly and turned her head enough so they could kiss tenderly. She reached up to him and gently stroked the side of his head before she said, "I won't, I might do something that ends tonight too soon."

"You're not a man," Castle couldn't help saying in response.

"I think that's obvious," Beckett said as he'd suddenly leaned over onto her chest. "What are you doing?"

"Suffocating myself in the best way possible," Castle said. He had expected her to do something that would push him away but when his back hit the blankets he was staring up at her with wide eyes. "You-" he began.

"I recovered," Beckett said, knowing that was what he was going to ask about. She was laying on him so she wasn't too far away, close enough to lean down to him and kiss him as he groaned against her before he responded. She tried not to move then, having already thought of what she wanted to do before they'd undressed. Though she needed to change her plans slightly she didn't mind, taking that in stride before she carefully pulled away.

"You need to be-" Castle started to say as he was nearly breathless watching her above him slightly move.

"Careful, I know," Beckett replied. "And I will be, I… thought of this earlier."

"When?" Castle asked in surprise.

Beckett didn't answer at first; instead she leaned down and proceeded to kiss at his chest before she told him, "When we changed to swim."

"I didn't have anything specific in mind," Castle told her, grunting here and there as she was peppering his chest with kisses still. "But I did think-"

"You thought that all through today," Beckett said.

"You know me so well," Castle said, pulling her back up to him for another kiss. When they parted he said, "You only thought of it then; after we changed?"

"In detail," Beckett answered simply before she ground her hips down into his. When his hands on the small of her back grasped it tighter she said, "Let me go Rick."

Though he only dimly heard her Castle found the ability to comply with her request and he was missing the feel of her skin under his palms. But he was rapidly after compensated as she moved straight down to his erection. With only the pillow under his head available to prop his head up he was just able to watch her kiss it much as she'd kissed his chest. He was holding onto the glass with one hand and the other gripped the blanket under him as she had done before though it had been instinct that had made him do so. When she took him into her mouth he found himself gasping for air before she was working over him.

At first Beckett was going to tease her husband with building up to the point where she would have to stop before he lost control. But with the way he'd held himself after pleasuring her she knew it wasn't going to last for very long. She went rapidly, hearing him swearing and if she hadn't been a little occupied she would have smiled as he was doing so in both English and Irish. But after that thought ran through her head she turned her full attention to him as from the way he was moving his body she knew she had less and less time.

When she stopped Castle was; somehow; ready for her though he'd had no idea when she was going to. He grabbed her and flipped her onto her back yet again but that time he was a little rougher than he'd meant. He whispered an apology; in Irish though he didn't realize; before he crushed his lips to hers hard. He felt her cry against his mouth as he slammed against her hips the second he could enter her body. At first, he was terrified he'd really hurt her that time but a second later her arms and legs were wrapped desperately around his body and he was taking off. He lunged his legs against her before he set up his pace, feeling her responding to him the best she could. It was more than enough and they were soon losing control of themselves as only a matter of five or six of his thrusts were enough for them to break mere seconds apart.

The room was filled with the calls of their names and they could feel their shared ecstasy reverberating around them, against the glass next to them and between each other besides what they were sharing. They slipped easily into a second orgasm and they were clutching and desperate as their names bounced off the walls and back to them. Neither Castle nor Beckett had any real clue when exactly they'd calmed down, only aware that they were moving together and then not. They were both trembling heavily in the aftermath and tried to stay that way for some time before she was suddenly gasping.

"Kate?" Castle asked, instantly concerned when he realized that gasp was in fear.

"The lights," Beckett said, ashamed of herself as she had to close her eyes. "Please… Oh god Rick they…" she said as they had opened for a moment and she was suddenly back in Queens

"Hold on," Castle said, leaving her though it was literal torture to do so. He went around as fast as he could, switching on every light available in the room. The last one was next to the door and when he turned back to her he was dismayed to find her sitting up, facing the window. Though he could see her he knew from the position she was in that her hands were covering her face. "Hey," he told her as he sat on his knees next to her. "They're back on."

"I know," Beckett said. She groaned and said, "I never…"

"No, that's my fault," Castle said immediately. "I shouldn't have turned them off." When she turned to cup his cheek before kissing it he was relieved; if she'd been seriously distraught she wouldn't have done that; and was going to speak when she did so first.

"You were trying to be romantic," Beckett said. "And I should tell you that someone could see us right now," nodding out the window.

"If they had binoculars," Castle pointed out. But he knew she was right so he helped her stand and though he knew she wouldn't want the message she needed to be coddled, that she would think as soon as he did it, he picked her up and then laid her on the bed.

"I did enjoy that," Beckett reassured him.

"There's something else though," Castle said while he was studying her closely as she remained sitting up as he was sitting next to her.

Not surprised that he'd been able to discern that Beckett told him honestly, "I thought I could handle it."

With a nod Castle said, "That makes sense. You had a chance to say, when you mentioned the lights being off."

"I was going to but… I had to try," Beckett said. When he pulled her into his arms she murmured, "Thank you."

"I had to," Castle replied. Though he didn't want to they laid down and he said, "Are you going to be okay?"

"I don't know, I hope so," Beckett replied, knowing he was referencing her having a nightmare because of that later.

"Have you tried to think of anything else?" Castle asked. "Before you fall asleep," he was quick to add.

"I have," Beckett said. "Believe me I've heard that if you think of something before bed you dream about it." When he was looking at her questioningly she said flatly, "It never worked."

"Oh?" Castle asked in slight surprise. "I feel there's a story behind that… a story that involves me."

"I tried thinking about work, weekend plans, the book I was reading, current boyfriends," Beckett said. "And yet you still invaded my dreams."

"Of course I did, I had to get to you somehow since you weren't letting me in real life," Castle said. He smiled when she moved away from where she'd been pressing her cheek to his shoulder and followed her as she laid back on her pillow. Propping his cheek on his hand as he looked down at her he ran his hand over her abdomen and said, "Why don't you remember this morning?"

Beckett took hold of his hand and pulled it off before saying softly, "I wasn't on my back for that long."

"It's not necessary," Castle said, becoming concerned. "You are now."

"A month and a half," Beckett said under her breath.

Since their room was so quiet Castle still heard that and he brushed his lips to hers saying, "I'm telling myself the same thing and trying to remind myself of the fact we were lucky with Eliza. It could take us a little more time. I'm older than-"

"It doesn't work like that Rick," Beckett said with a sigh. "And we know we're both… able to try."

"Then you shouldn't worry," Castle said. "Don't think it's something about you."

Beckett couldn't help sighing and she said, "It's hard not to since I'm carrying it. A lot is going to depend on me."

"You could be pregnant right now," Castle said to try and reassure her. "We've had a lot of chances."

"We have," Beckett said slowly. "I wonder if I should have at least kept track of those peak days."

"Do you really want to?" Castle asked, knowing the answer to that already. When she shook her head he said, "Then don't, we have time still Kate; a lot."

"Then can I tell you what I really want?" Beckett asked him. When he gave her a questioning look her answer to him was to pull him down to her, kissing him deeply as an answer before they were shortly after making love together.

Castle and Beckett both shook off their worries starting with her reaction to the lack of lighting and focused solely on each other. They were gentler that time around and found themselves experiencing the same pleasure that made them doubt they'd get much sleep that night as it became intense once more while they finally allowed themselves to get lost in one another.


	34. Learning To Fly

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: It was really nice to get the feedback I did for the last chapter so will get right to my thank yous for that! Mb (Hey there! Don't worry at all about not review and that you're begind. I'm not surprised at all that work, real life and also the summer are taking up some time. I've noticed that when some rolls around my readers and reviewers might go down a bit but it's perfectly understandable. I know you're still reading so it's great to know that of course! But I'm glad you think I write amazing and beautiful stories. I really have to write Castle and Beckett together fully as you put it 'cause I really think they were best friends and lovers but the show lost that a bit so I feel the need to show that and more so than we saw on the show as time went on. And of course I have to show them as loving parents, never really got the chance to see that in Beckett's case so it's why I love to write them doing that especially together. Pleased to see you enjoy all of that! You're welcome for sharing my words as you said with you, glad to do that. And I will always write Castle and Beckett and their family definitely. You're welcome again!),  
TORONTOSUN (Nice to see you thought it was a very good chapter with lots of good moments. And great you thought the second half of the chapter was good writing again, hoped readers would think that so I'm happy you did of course!),  
MsNYC (Great you were glad that Julia and Mari made up after their misunderstanding. And I knew what you meant, about that age kids will start to realize they're growing up and they don't want to insult another kid with something that might be considered sexual though that I had happen there wasn't of course; I knew you didn't mean that; but of course they're aware things can be taken like that around this age which is awkward of course which was what I had happen here. So it was nice to read that you understood where I was going with that! I'm so happy that you love Skye and Beckett's friendship, as well as you being glad seeing their playful side towards each other. You're welcome though I really loved writing that! I had to laugh at your reaction to the line where Mary tries to touch Skye in the Jacuzzi, but it was great you had the one you did. I never know how readers will react to the femslash moments between Skye and Mary so nice you didn't mind that. And I'm not surprised at all that you expected Castle to say something about it; also that you said it out loud. I figured that would be something he'd do, lol. And of course, happy to see you thought it was great writing as usual!) and  
vetgirlmx (I wasn't surprised to see your reaction to what happened with Julia and Mari or that you could tell she was so worried. And I figure for her she'd be terrified that Mari would be mad though the others would see she wasn't going to be. And you're definitely right, growing up isn't always a pleasant experience; I remember that myself of course. I'm so glad that you're getting eager about their mini-trip though you are enjoying the current one they're on. You're right a family trip will be different from this one; and I have to admit I can't wait for you and all the other readers to read it! I'm not surprised you mentioned that the chapter was a bit different with them being more playful and relaxed; I figured since they were at the zoo that would happen, lol. And great you liked how Castle and Mary are comfortable with each other; I figured that would happen with their wives being good friends of course; and also glad you thought that was nice to see anyway though you saw it coming. I had really wondered what you'd think of Eliza playing vet so I was very pleased you loved it and that it reminded you of yourself a little; I thought there might be a bit of nostalgia with that, lol, so you're very welcome for it. And I'm so happy you can't wait to see what happens on their last day in San Diego and now you don't need to anymore!).  
Thanks so much for the reviews, I love reading them as always and appreciate the time taken to write them out and send them to me!

A/N #2: The title of this chapter is the title of a song written by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, from the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album _Into the Great Wide Open_.

Learning To Fly

"That's a Lockheed," Skye was saying as they walked up to the building.

"And the other?" Castle asked as they stopped when they were close enough to look at the two jets in front of the museum.

"Convair Seadart," Mary said. When the two looked at her she said with a smile, "I've been here before too."

"Speaking of that," Skye said. She led the way inside when everyone was following her and after they had gotten their tickets she said to Castle and Beckett, "Go ahead and lead us, I would suggest going counter clockwise from here though."

"Okay," Castle said slowly as Beckett was looking at him and knew that she was going to allow him to go where he wanted. "Well I know that's a UAV," he said at the narrow white aircraft near them. "So what about that one?"

"The Firebee," Mary said.

"Remote controlled and supersonic," Skye said. "And that's all we know about it honestly."

"We've only seen it here," Mary added. "The girls loved the name."

"That would make sense," Castle said with a smile.

"Alright, next one's a plane I should have to tell you about," Skye said. "Though it is a replica."

"We saw it at the Smithsonian," Castle said. "The real Spirit of St. Louis."

"This one is nice too," Beckett said, having taken a picture of it.

"Great," Skye said absently as she was looking at the propellers on the front.

"How come you're not taking any pictures?" Castle asked as they moved on to the next plane.

Before she answered that Skye said, "It's a Sopwith Pup, from England. And I've seen these before."

"She took pictures of almost all of them," Mary said. "Except for the drones."

"Ready to move on?" Skye said, getting her camera out as they moved over towards the next room.

"You want to take pictures of these?" Beckett asked in surprise.

"I would, I can get some nice shots with them here unmoving," Skye replied since the room contained personal aircraft like Cessnas and Pipers. They were both taking a picture of a Cessna and she said, "How was your morning?"

"Same as yours," Beckett said after giving the woman a brief look. She wasn't surprised when Skye just smiled at her before they moved on. But at the reminder she couldn't help recalling that morning and how their plans to have breakfast together in someone's room had fallen apart.

* * *

 _Her phone ringing Beckett tried to reach over to the nightstand but had a little bit of difficulty at first as it was further than she thought it was. Grabbing it finally she pushed herself up before answering it and said, "Skye, everything okay?" as she put it to speaker while Castle sat up with her._

 _"Yeah, it's fine," the woman said slowly. "Listen we never really said where we were going to have breakfast and I hate to say our room is a little too… small."_

 _"I think ours is too," Beckett said, feeling her husband pressing his lips against her back in response as they didn't want the women there after having made love a couple times since waking up._

 _"So, we can just grab something quickly on the way," Skye said._

 _"Of course, we'll meet you in the lobby at nine forty-five," Beckett said. When the investigator agreed she quickly hung up and then started to laugh with her husband. Once they'd finally calmed down she said to him, "I wonder if she really thought that we wouldn't realize they were doing the same as us."_

 _"She might have been attempting it," Castle said. "So how much time do we have now?"_

 _"An hour and a half," Beckett said after she checked the time on her phone._

 _"Good," Castle said, taking it and setting it aside before he went to her and laid her down. He proceeded to kiss her as they prepared to make love once more, her grasp of him letting him know she was ready for it as well._

* * *

Standing with her husband at the WWI era plane Beckett said, "Should we tell them now or wait until we finish?"

"Tell us what?" Mary asked as she and her wife had walked over to them in time to hear that.

"We were wondering if we might change our plans for the second museum," Beckett said first.

"We'd like to look at the Timken and then the Botanical Building," Castle told them.

"That would be nice but you've been to the Timken; no photographs," Skye reminded the two as she looked back and forth between them.

"Still," Beckett said. "I'm planning on making up for it at the Botanical Building."

"And that might have a lot of the same stuff," Mary warned.

"Do you want to go to the car museum?" Castle asked them.

"No… oh, we thought you might want to but found out we didn't really want to go," Skye said slowly.

" _If you want to go back to the hotel we can always take a cab_ ," Beckett told the woman in Russian.

"No, we just want to be out… and since the Timken is small and the Botanical is outside… thank you," Skye said.

"What did she ask her?" Castle whispered to Mary as their wives went ahead of them.

"I don't know," Mary said laughingly. "So," she said to him. "Any reason for the change of venue? You both love cars."

"No, we just… feel like being out too; it's a stunning day," Castle said looking up at the clear blue sky. "Plus, we're going to be cramped inside during the party."

"I can tell you don't want to go," Mary said. "So, I would suggest you stick to your wife like glue." When he looked at her she shrugged and said, "Some woman tried to pick up Skye at the party at the Getty; the first one; before the fire."

Nodding Castle said, "I've had to see my wife being hit on a lot at these. It never gets any easier. If I didn't know Kate would literally throttle me getting sent to jail for it I'd throttle… them. Hello love."

"Hey, you realize we can hear you," Beckett told him, her hands on her hips for a moment. "But she's right, you should stick with me."

Castle was startled for a moment as she started to walk away from him but he then smiled, going after her. When they were standing at the first plane in the next section he said, "You wouldn't mind it?"

"I'm used to you now," Beckett said with a smile. She squeezed his hand and then said, "Plus I want to be close enough to you so we can get out of there as soon as possible."

"Me too," Castle said quickly before they then started to follow the two women around that section and the WWII section. He was enthralled by the latter and was pleased to see his wife appeared to be as well, considering the pictures she took of a few of them.

"Wow," Beckett said to Skye as they stepped into a large domed room.

"I know and I forgot, you'll have the chance to see some cars now," the investigator told them with a smile as she nodded to the two that were on the floor.

The four walked around together, Skye telling them about the planes that they saw. But then they stopped underneath something cone shaped with the country's name and the flag on it.

"This I think is more your speed Rick," Skye told him.

"Of course," Castle said with a smile. "The Mercury spacecraft."

"I hate to say-" Skye began.

"It's a replica?" Beckett asked.

"A mock-up," Mary answered.

"I don't mind," Castle said, watching his wife as she took a picture of it. "But I would mind sitting in there."

"I think your height would have been a problem love," Beckett said in amusement to her husband as she looked at him.

"It would have, really, six foot two in that little thing?" Mary said as he looked at her and Skye.

"Every time I realized I was taller I knew I wasn't going to be able to be an astronaut," Castle said as they continued to the next plane. "And then the shuttle started up and I thought I might have a chance."

"That was when you were much older though," Skye commented.

"My mother knew I was going to be tall," Castle said, glancing at his wife.

"I think she just realized you would be," Beckett said since his father hadn't been that tall.

"My uncle was," Castle finished since he'd been about to tell her that before she'd spoken.

"Then that would make sense," Skye said, watching them as they went back into the WWII section.

"Have you ever flown a jet?" Castle asked as they came to the last section of planes.

"Oh no, not really," Skye replied with a smile.

"Not really? Isn't it more of a yes or no question?" Beckett asked after taking a picture of a mock-up of a Gemini spacecraft in the room.

"I suppose," Skye said. She wasn't surprised when the two just looked at her in complete confusion and explained, "I've flown some but never on my own."

"Can you do any acrobatics?" Castle asked.

"A bit, looping which you've seen me do before," Skye answered.

"Though it gives me a heart attack every time," Mary grumbled. "I'm not in the plane with her but I watch a lot remember."

"In an attempt to stop me but it doesn't really work," Skye said with a smile for her wife.

With a sigh; as she couldn't really stay mad at her with that; Mary then said, "Do you guys want to go on the flight simulator here?" pointing to the one they were near.

Beckett was about to say that she wanted to but stopped and said, "I don't think I should."

"We can pass," Castle said though he was heavily tempted to go.

"You don't have to punish yourself for my sake Rick," Beckett told him with a smile.

"I'll take him," Mary said after she and her wife shared a look.

"You-" Beckett started to say to Skye when they were alone.

"I've been on a jet, the simulator is unnecessary," the investigator said, waving her hand.

"And you can't fly it," Beckett guessed. When Skye just gave her a smile she laughed slightly and then followed her to the gift shop where her friend had said they'd meet the two.

"You're going to love this for your girls," Skye said eagerly as they stepped inside the store. "Some plane models."

"Some?" Beckett asked, stunned to find half a wall of nothing but the model planes.

"I know, it's fab isn't it?" Skye was gushing. "Ab-fab though no one ever gets that."

"Did you watch the show?" Beckett asked. When her friend looked at her she said, "I told you once my mother was an anglophile and she watched that; so did I."

"Great to hear," Skye replied with a smile. "You're going to wait for Rick, right?" When she nodded she said, "You can help me out now; Mary will let me look now."

Able to tell from both the tone and the redundant use of the word now that her friend was excited Beckett followed her quickly to the planes and looked on as she seemed to study every last one. It was amusing to hear her whispering to herself about the different liveries there were available until she stopped. "Did you find one?" she asked her. She was startled when the woman looked stunned and said, "Skye-"

"Look," the investigator said, holding up the box to her.

"Your livery," Beckett said with a smile, seeing on the 747 model was the picture Skye had done of the poppy field.

"All of them that I did for Golden State," the woman said, still looking shocked.

"Well you should get at least one," Beckett said.

Skye was going to reply to that when she spotted her wife and Castle walking over to them. With a wide smile, she left Beckett without a word wanting to show her wife what she'd found.

Beckett had to cover her mouth with her hand as she was about to start laughing at the way Skye nearly bounded over to Mary in her eagerness.

"What's that all about?" Castle asked her in surprise once he'd reached her.

"Her liveries for Golden State," Beckett said, motioning to the planes.

"Really?" Castle asked, stepping right up to them.

"Rick?" Beckett said, outright laughing when her husband nearly bumped his nose into the packaging of one.

"Sorry, I'm picking out two for the girls; Alexis too but if she doesn't want it I'm taking it," Castle said rapidly. He then realized how he sounded and paused before he turned around to look at her. "Did you want to choose?"

"No, I trust you love," Beckett said, waving her hand in the air briefly before he went back to the boxes.

"Okay, I think I have them," Castle told her as he turned to her. "The flowers for Eliza, the redwoods for Julia; since she remembers them; and for Alexis the kelp forest."

"I have nothing to say to that," Beckett said in amusement as he was looking at her questioningly.

"Great do you want any?" Castle asked.

"No grab one for yourself," Beckett urged him. She watched him look them over before he grabbed a British Airways model with a plaid pattern on the tail. "Where will you put it?" she asked after he'd shown it to her.

"I think in our office," Castle said after looking at it for a moment. "I'll be back."

Beckett was going to stop him to ask something but he was walking away so she held off until they were leaving the museum. "How was it?" she asked him as they were behind the McDouglases heading to the Japanese garden for their lunch.

"Fun but it was better you didn't go, just in case," Castle said. "We didn't take too long, did we? I wasn't sure how long we were in there."

"No," Beckett replied, shaking her head. She was going to say more when she realized Skye and Mary had stopped walking ahead of them. "What is it?" she asked in surprise once they'd reached them.

"Do you remember what the menu has?" Skye said first.

"We'll take the bowls with chicken teriyaki," Beckett said before looking at her husband.

"No that's fine," Castle said. "But the teas?"

"Peppermint; it's caffeine free," Mary suggested.

"That sounds good," Beckett said. "But why are you ordering?"

"We'll have dessert after," Mary said.

"Take this," Skye said, waiting for her wife to hand the bag that she was holding. "And go to the grass over here, pick out a spot."

"Will you be able to find us?" Castle asked as he held the bag.

"Yes, don't worry," Skye said before she and Mary got in line.

Taking his wife's hand Castle walked with her away from the building until they'd found a wide expanse of grass surrounded by trees. "I think this is good," he said when he spotted some shade.

"I'll help you," Beckett said when he began to take the blanket out of the bag. She helped him shake it out and once it was ready she set down some rocks she'd managed to find before they were sitting. She took a few pictures as soon as they were and took a final one looking up at the tree they were beneath.

"Nice," Castle said as he was watching her.

"Thank you," Beckett replied with a smile.

"You know there are a lot of art galleries in the Hamptons," Castle said.

"Yes, and I'm just an amateur photographer," Beckett said quickly. "Though I'm not surprised you're suggesting that."

"I had to try," Castle replied before something came to mind then and he reached for his phone before he talked to his wife. "Sit a little closer love," he told her.

With a smile Beckett did so and after he'd taken the selfie of them with the park slightly visible behind them said, "You should send that one later."

"I will, along with the other we'll take in the Botanical Building," Castle replied as he put his phone away. With a smile he said, "We seemed to go through that museum quickly."

Beckett was going to object at first before she stopped and then nodded telling her husband, "You're right… I guess we were thinking about going back to our rooms."

"Or we just really wanted to be outside," Castle said.

Laughing softly when her husband let himself fall onto his back Beckett turned to him and said, "Or we're just tired."

"That too," Castle said after he'd tucked his hands underneath his head. "Though I don't really want a nap."

"Now you sound like Eliza," Beckett pointed out.

"I guess so," Castle replied before he glanced up at her and saw that she was looking off to the side. "They're here?"

"They are, I realized I wasn't sure if they'd really bring out tea but I think they did," Beckett said with a smile at her husband as he sat up. "They're fine," she said as she knew he was looking to see if they needed help.

"She's right but very gallant of you," Skye commented to him as she handed one of the containers she was holding to Beckett then giving the second to Castle. She sat as her wife was pouring out tea in a thermos they'd brought with them to the park. " _Salud_ ," she said after they all had a glass filled and had prepared them with some honey.

Tapping them together the four drank before they began to eat and looked around the field they were at before Mary was talking to Castle and Beckett.

"This is where they have part of their Halloween attraction," the doctor said with a smile.

"Have you gone to those?" Beckett asked them.

"Oh no, if you hadn't noticed I'm a bit of a wimp," Mary said.

"Ah," Skye said, taking on a Scottish accent. "I am too actually… well, for that anyway. So no, we haven't gone to them; seen them on TV. Had great fun laughing at those being scared." She glanced at Castle and Beckett who were looking at each other and she said with a smile, "So I would assume you two were like that, or just you Rick."

As her husband rolled his eyes Beckett said, "It was him though we were with the Fosters too and David was the same."

"Amazing how men do that," Skye commented, picking up some rice with her chopsticks. She looked to Castle and said slowly, "Something on your mind?"

Beckett looked at him rapidly and saw he did look like he was mulling something over so she asked, "She's right, what is it?"

"I'm recalling Old Town," Castle replied. "You had a close experience with the spirit of that little girl but you were both fine. How?"

"I'd thought of that myself," Skye replied. "You don't always come out of those able to stroll down the street just fine and dandy." She set down her empty container and then said, "I think we had a symbiotic moment; though just in the idea of shared energy."

Though she really wanted to protest that Beckett couldn't do it and she sighed saying, "Explain."

With a nod Skye said, "You know we're all energy, right?"

"I believe that," Beckett said. "Basic living, our hearts pumping, breathing; all of that requires energy."

"That's what spirits require, to suck that energy from us and just one person and a weaker spirit like the girl was would still drain you," Skye said. "But both of us, that and she couldn't get it to manifest."

"How does that make it symbiotic?" Mary asked.

"We both share the same thing," Beckett answered before Skye could speak. "Your heart stopped more than once and so did mine."

"Exactly. Now this is just a guess; I don't really have anything to back this up," Skye began. She paused and then sighed saying, "I never do. But I think that we had a connection in that instant which that little girl completed trying to take our energy and we were bouncing it back and forth to keep from losing it once she left. Why that was… I guess we just realized; subconsciously of course, this had to be our bodies doing this; we wouldn't have been able to handle things without that extra energy."

"What can I say," Beckett replied as Mary and Castle turned to her. "She's right though, I realize now after the fact that we were really close to each other."

"That right," Castle said quickly. "You were."

"Then that could be it," Skye said with a nod. "I suppose in a way we were like sisters in that moment."

"Ghost sisters," Castle said. He laughed when his wife threw a fallen leaf from the grass at him and said, "You two are close."

"Fairly for being on opposite ends of the country," Mary said.

"It's funny how that happened," Skye said.

"You don't think we got that close through the investigations we went through together?" Beckett said. When the investigator looked away slightly from her she sighed and then said, "I'm not heartless; I have two daughters. Three because I do include Alexis there now."

"She does, I think they're just wondering if that could happen because you're on opposite ends of the country like Mary said," Castle said.

Finishing the last of her tea Beckett said, "It did and we'll have to see you soon. Come to New York soon."

"We'll try when we can," Skye said. She wasn't surprised when Castle and Beckett just looked at her and she laughed before saying, "We were thinking of skiing around Lake Placid, stopping by to see you around President's Day weekend."

"We're staying there once we get back to New York," Castle said. "I forgot to tell you that's where Paradox Lodge is," he then told his wife.

"I looked it up," Beckett said. "We're showing them what we can of what's left from the Olympics… if we get the chance," she told him. When he nodded she then said, "Timken?" to all three of them.

"Yes," Skye said, getting up first. "You know something I forgot to tell you about the name."

"Something to do with Ohio," Castle said quickly. "There's history with the name."

"Car manufacturing," Skye said as he was shaking out the blanket before folding it. "But it was eventually in Canton, Ohio and my mother was born at the Timken Hospital there."

"She always feels close to her mother there since she can't go to Canton," Mary said softly with a sigh as her wife had stalked away from them to throw away the containers. "It would be too painful since she does have a few albums of her mother's pictures as she grew up there. She didn't come out to Seattle until college so there would be memories."

"Is it because she only knows these things second hand?" Beckett guessed.

"Exactly," Mary replied.

"Did you ever think of going with her?" Castle suggested. "Being with-"

"I have," Mary interrupted as she knew how he was going to finish that. "And no such luck, it's too difficult for her. Maybe one day but for now we'll just remember through her albums. We should go."

Letting the doctor go ahead of them Castle said, "I think there's another connection… to a degree."

"I thought of that already when she was talking about our hearts stopping but I didn't want to bring it up," Beckett said. "And if you're going to suggest that that's why the girl wanted to talk to me besides the fact I've had a child then yes I'll agree. It makes no sense but I can't refute it for the life of me."

Smiling at the way she worded that Castle took her hand and then said, "I'm thinking we should split up in there."

"We should," Beckett agreed as they watched the museum's small building coming into view. After they'd entered they told the women that and were walking in the opposite direction from them and she found for a second time at that same museum she hated the policy of no photographs. The collection was stunning and her fingers were aching to hold onto her camera to set up the shot at each painting they stopped in front of. Eventually, as they were studying one of Yosemite with horses in the foreground, she felt her husband's hand on her back.

"I could sneak my phone," Castle said.

"You couldn't," Beckett said, smiling at his sincerity with that. " _I appreciate the thought but the guards are watching everyone like hawks_ ," she then said in Irish as the man that had been at the doorway to the room was walking near them.

" _Vultures_ ," Castle said jokingly. When his wife rolled her eyes, he smiled and then followed her over to the next one. "We'll take them to Rome," he said suddenly.

"What?" Beckett asked, startled from her gaze at the painting of ruins in the city.

"Whenever we go to Europe we're going full force with history," Castle said. "And food of course but we'll refrain from espressos with them. I know a great place close to the Pantheon that you'll love." He couldn't help his gaze going down to her abdomen and said, "After."

"Well after," Beckett said with a nod. She cupped his cheek gently before letting him go and then telling him, " _I love you for that_ ," in Irish.

" _I wasn't fishing_ ," Castle told her as he followed her to the next painting. " _I was incredibly honest_ ," speaking in Irish as she had been.

" _I know when you are and that time definitely wasn't it_ ," Beckett assured him. His hand on her back let her know that he was a little frustrated there were people around them and she saw he was trying to focus on the art as they were nearly finished though she could easily see it was difficult.

When they made their way back to the entrance Castle saw his wife looking at the rooms they were passing and he said, "They're not here are they?"

"No," Beckett said, stepping outside. She wasn't surprised to find it empty there and she quickly got her phone out before it rang with a text. "They beat us to the building," she said to her husband. "This is from Mary; they went to see the koi to cheer Skye up."

"Good idea, we should give them some space though," Castle said. After she had texted Mary that he took her hand and they walked together over to the building behind the art museum from another path on the side.

Glancing over at the koi pond in front of it Beckett saw the two women weren't there, instead walking arm in arm along the reflecting pond that extended to the street. "They're going to be there a while," she commented.

"Do you care if they don't join us?" Castle asked.

"I texted Mary that they could stay out if they wanted," Beckett answered.

"Okay, are you ready?" Castle asked. When she walked past him then he smiled and followed her, watching her in admiration as she drew her camera from her bag swiftly before they were inside the large building and coming up to the orchids along the walls. He stayed back, just watching her admiring the flowers and taking her shots before she turned to him. When she said nothing, he walked a little closer to her as she took a shot of a white flower before she began to speak as he'd expected her to do.

"What time is it?" Beckett asked.

A little startled that she would ask Castle quickly realized why and he checked his watch saying, "We were there in the field for a while, it's almost two fifteen. You want to call them?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't," Beckett replied with a slight smile. "But not yet."  
"I'll keep my eye on the time," Castle said with a nod before they continued down the wall until the orchids had finished. When they stepped into the main part of the building he glanced around and said, "This is creepy."

"There are people here," Beckett said wryly as she'd noticed they were practically alone. She was taking a picture underneath some palm fronds then and said, "They're not coming in here."

"I'm in here," Mary said, walking up to them. When the two looked at her in shock she explained, "She's going to do a bit of walking. She's better now, just needs to be alone. We'll meet her at the field where we ate, she's going there."

"What?" Castle asked, studying his wife as she looked down to her camera with a frown on her face.

"Would it be a bad idea if I went to her?" Beckett asked the doctor.

"Oh no," Mary said. "Just try not to talk about her mother."

"I wasn't planning on it," Beckett replied.

"But what about the girls?" Castle said quickly.

"After we talk to them," Beckett told him as she was setting up another shot. "She's serious about needing to be alone."

Castle wanted to comment but held back when his wife looked at him over her shoulder. He nodded and said to Mary, "What about you?"

"I'll go back through the Timken; Skye left after only a few paintings. I'll be back so you won't get lost when we go find them," the woman replied before she left.

"She'll be alright," Castle said to Beckett as they studied some orchids.

"She will," she replied as she took a quick shot and then continued. Beckett kept her eye on the time before she said, "Text Alexis?"

Nodding, wondering if she knew she'd spent that whole time taking pictures without saying a word to him, Castle got his phone out and swiftly texted his daughter. He wasn't surprised when she answered back very shortly after and he told his wife, "They're ready. Where?"

"Outside," Beckett said, leading the way. She had spotted the path to the right of the building and was relieved to see that it was still empty. She handed him her tablet and watched him open their Skype app, brightening the screen before their daughters appeared on it.

"Hi Mommy, Daddy," Julia said first.

"Hi! Are you coming home now?" Eliza asked.

"Tomorrow," Castle said reassuringly. "We're already preparing to go."

"Are you still arriving at five?" Alexis asked.

"We are," Castle said. "And I realized we forgot to tell you we want the dogs to come too."

"They can go?" Julia said with a gasp of pleasure.

"They can, they'll stay with us," Beckett replied. "Are you okay to get their things ready?" she then asked her stepdaughter.

"We'll help!" Eliza said eagerly.

"We'll be fine," Alexis said, smiling as Julia nodded rapidly to agree with their little sister.

"Okay since we have that set," Castle commented. "Tell-"

"Wait," Julia said then as Macca was setting his head on her lap. "Can they swim too?"

"If it's not too cold," Castle said. He paused and said, "How did-"

"We looked into the park," Alexis interrupted him with a smile. "I told them there are rivers and lakes but we didn't see any pictures."

"Good so you'll be surprised," Beckett said with a smile. "Now you can tell us about your days."

Eliza went first, going over her day before Julia took over and talked about playing after lunch with Mari along with her class and dance class.

"How's the weather?" Castle asked.

"It's getting warm again," Alexis said. "So we should have really nice weather going to the park."

"So we can swim," Eliza said firmly.

"We'll try," Beckett promised.

"What about you? Where are you?" Julia asked, glancing behind them. "It looks like a place we went to."  
"The Botanical Building," Castle answered. "Your mom and I just walked through it and she took a lot of pictures."

"I did," Beckett said with a smile. "And we'll show them to you tomorrow night. But first we went to two museums."

Castle tried his best not to laugh as their two youngest daughters made oohing sounds and he said, "We went to the Air and Space Museum and then the Timken. You went with us to that last one, the small building with the paintings you couldn't take pictures of."

"Could you now?" Julia asked.

"Oh no, it was the same," Beckett replied. "But the paintings were basically the same."

"Just a few changes here and there," Castle added. "After the first museum though we stopped for lunch and ate out on the grass; very nice."

"And after now?" Eliza asked.

"Dessert," Castle said as he glanced at his wife.

"He's right," Beckett replied. "So we should say our goodnights."

"Night Mommy, Daddy love you!" Eliza cried out.

"I love you too Eliza and you too Julia, Alexis," Castle said to them. "We'll see you tomorrow in the city."

"I can't wait," Julia said. "I love you Daddy and you too Mommy," she told them both.

"I love you too Dad, Kate," Alexis added. "And we'll all be there to meet you."

"I love you three too," Beckett said, smiling at them. "And I'm ready to see you three, plus your gram and grandpapa."

"And the dogs," Castle added.

"I was going to say," Beckett said to her husband in a mock stern tone of voice. When he kissed her cheek, she smiled and shaking her head said, "Goodnight you three."

"Night!" the three said together before the screen went dark.

"Hey, finished at the same time today," Louis said as he stepped inside. He was going to ask his girlfriend what was wrong as she looked at her phone but she then motioned to Eliza. "Anyone want to take the dogs out?" he asked them.

"We'll be with you in a second," Alexis said, stopping Julia before she could join their little sister and the dogs.

"What's wrong?" Julia asked in concern.

"Your mom wants to talk to you really quickly," Alexis replied. "I'll be in the kitchen and then we'll go inside together." She paused when she saw her sister frowning and said, "What?"

"I can go outside on my own," Julia said in exasperation. "And I know how to turn off the TV too; go outside and I'll come out after."

"I love you Jules," Alexis said with a smile.

"Sorry," Julia said with a slight laugh. "But it's true; I'm a big girl now."

"Okay, okay just come straight outside when you're ready," Alexis said, squeezing her shoulder and handing her the remote.

When she was alone Julia waited for her mother to text her before she pressed the button on the remote. "Hey Mommy," she said when she saw her.

"Hi, I just wanted to check on you sweetie," Beckett replied with a smile.

"I'm okay," Julia said quickly to reassure her. She smiled and said, "Mari forgave me and she understood. Did you get the picture I sent you?"

"I did, I showed your daddy too," Beckett replied. "And we're happy to see you're okay now."

"I still wanna give you a hug," Julia said quickly.

"So do I," Beckett assured her. "Go ahead and play now before dinner okay."

"How did you know we were doing that?" Julia said in surprise.

"I guessed," Beckett replied with a smile. "I love you sweetie, see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow Mommy, I love you," Julia said before they both hung up.

Since Castle had headed back into the building while she'd spoken with their oldest Beckett tucked her tablet back into her bag and then made her way over to a stall that was on the street in front of her. Once she was ready she made her way down to the field and saw her friend leaning back against a tree trunk with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Did Mary tell you?" Skye said, her eyes remaining closed.

"No, I knew already remember," Beckett replied, handing the shaved ice cup down to her. She sat down after her bag was on the ground and she started to eat her own, watching the woman as she ate.

"You've done the same yourself," Skye stated instead of asking after they'd been eating in silence for a while.

"I still do," Beckett replied. "But it's not the same-"

"It doesn't need to be," Skye interrupted. "That pain and regret is the same no matter what." She studied her friend and then said, "Did Mary tell you to come out here?"

"No, it was my decision," Beckett said quickly and firmly. "They don't quite have the same experience that you and I do." She hesitated for a moment before she said, "Though I suppose Rick would have some."

"He would but I don't know that I would feel as comfortable talking to him," Skye said. "Or to be honest you as I spoke about this with Mary."

"And we didn't need to talk about it," Beckett told her simply.

Tilting her cup back for the rest of the ice in her cup Skye said, "No I'm better now. I know my mum wouldn't want me to mope about her so best I bring my attention to the here and now. Are they together?"

"At the Botanical Building," Beckett said with a nod. "We had already looked through it. And talked to our girls."

"How's Julia?" Skye asked.

"She's good, Mari did forgive her so they're fine now," Beckett replied.

"What're you doing?" Skye asked as her friend took her cup and set it next to the bags near them. "Oh, you saw that," she said in amusement when she saw that Beckett was holding the cricket ball in there.

"When Rick was getting the blanket," she replied. "You know you never showed me how to throw this."

"Well since we're essentially alone here," Skye said with a smile as they got up. She caught the ball that Beckett tossed to her and said, "I forgot to mention to you, we don't have a connection now like you and Julia do."

"Just because we were with each other?" Beckett guessed as they walked out of the way of the trees they'd been next to.

Skye nodded and said, "I'll show you a few times and then you can try."

"You'll catch?" Beckett asked her. When her friend nodded she then watched while Skye taught her how to hold the ball first before demonstrating throwing it though she never let go of it.

"You have a turn," Skye said finally, tossing the ball to her. "And toss it."

"You're not going to catch it?" Beckett asked.

Shaking her head Skye told her, "I'd like to see how you do first."

Though she felt awkward Beckett tried to throw the ball and watched it go further than she thought it would. "So," she said to Skye.

With a smile the investigator said, "For your first try not bad. Try again."

With a nod Beckett did so but slipped up on her grip, sending it to the right which made them both burst into laughter. Watching Skye run after the ball she was relieved to hear the mirth from her friend and then called to her, "You do know how to throw over hand right?"

"I do," Skye said, throwing it to her that way.

The two tossed the ball back and forth that way before their spouses were walking up to them and they joined them before they talked about needing to leave.

"We didn't go over to the bridge yet _grá_ ," Mary told her wife.

"We can take a quick walk over to it," Castle commented. "We're not far."

"I don't think we have time to go over the whole thing," Beckett said. "But we can be a little late for the party."

"We could but we would never hear the end of it from our agent," Castle said, unable to help smiling as the two women had looked to him to answer that.

"Half way," Skye suggested. When they agreed with her she led the way with her wife, turning back eventually to Beckett and telling her, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Beckett said with a smile and a nod.

"She's okay," Castle stated as they let the two walk ahead of them enough.

"She is now," Beckett replied. "She already was by the time I got to her. She's just trying not to let it take her over."

"Okay," Skye said once they were on the bridge. "Here's El Prado."

"Wow that's… terrifying," Castle said as he glanced over the edge of the bridge.

"From the freeway it's nice," Mary told him as their wives were taking pictures.

"She's right; if you recall it," Skye commented, looking over from her camera. "Feels a bit like the aqueducts in Spain."

"They do," Beckett said, realizing the woman was right. "Have you gotten a shot straight down?"

"I don't think I could," Skye replied with a smile. "I don't have a problem with heights but this is a bit much."

Beckett, finishing taking the pictures she saw in the scenery, started to walk down the bridge again before she realized that while her husband was following the McDouglases weren't. "Are you-" she started to say.

"We're going to stick around here until you're finished," Skye said.

"Do you want to go to the other end?" Castle asked his wife as they started walking together.

"No, we really don't have the time," Beckett replied. "I have to get ready." They were quiet for a while before she then asked, "How long do we have to stay?"

"At least until ten," Castle said. He wasn't surprised when his wife gave a groan and he nodded saying, "I know, I had the same reaction. But maybe I can get us out of there by nine thirty… or a quarter till."

"Try," Beckett urged him before they reached the middle of the bridge and she took pictures on both sides though she had to be careful of passing traffic.

"Ready?" Castle called to her.

"Why are you still over there?" Beckett asked, unable to help the amusement that seeped into her tone as he was across the street.

"I was debating looking right over the edge," Castle replied. He then took the chance he saw he had and ran across the street to his wife. "Have you?"

"I'll pass," Beckett said with a smile. "Come on," she said as she took his hand, pulling him back so they could reach the McDouglases and leave the park to prepare for the party.


	35. Learning To Fly (Part 2)

"Are you ready?" Castle asked, standing next to the door to the bathroom.

"Yes," Beckett said, pretending to sound impatient. She smiled at her husband as she stepped out and said, "Again, this is the same dress," as he immediately ogled her.

"Again, it doesn't matter," Castle told her. When she rolled her eyes, he laughed briefly and then followed her over to the couch that was back at the window. He knelt as soon as she was sitting and helped her right foot into the first heel. As he was tying the ribbons around her ankle he said, "We can't really do much can we?"

"That depends on you," Beckett told him. "Remember how you said you could try for nine-thirty?" She tried not to smirk as her husband seemed to freeze at the insinuation she was making and she said, "I'm serious Rick. It's our last night and though we missed one…"

"Okay, I'll do the best I can," Castle said, caressing her foot at the same time he was speaking.

"You need to," Beckett said, her voice slightly trembling in the pleasure she felt from his touch. When her shoes were set she stood up and waited for him to follow her, smiling at him before she wrapped her arms around him tightly. As his hands pressed against the small of her back she moaned deeply in her pleasure at the same time they proceeded to kiss. She wasn't sure how long that lasted but finally they were stopping and parting and once they had she said to him, "We have to go?"

"I was paying attention," Castle said with a nod as she had asked him to keep track of the time while they were getting ready. "And they're going to be waiting for us now."

Though for a moment she didn't want to Beckett nodded and let her husband pick up her shawl before they were walking together out of their room. She wasn't surprised when he kept quiet on the ride down though they'd ended up being alone and when they stepped out into the lobby she asked, "Are you alright?"

"Trying to calm down," Castle explained. When she smiled and squeezed his hand he knew that she was going through the same so they walked together to the McDouglases that were already there waiting for them.

"Have you been here long?" Beckett asked.

"Oh no," Mary said first. "We just came out here a few minutes ago."

"I didn't say this before but you all look very nice," Castle said to the three women.

"Don't tell me it makes you feel like a pimp," Mary said jokingly as her wife groaned.

"No," Castle said. "I wouldn't be that insulting to you three," he said quickly, glancing at his wife and relieved to see she wasn't angry. "More Bosley and the Angels."

"Of course," Beckett said, giving a mock suffering sigh. She then smiled and said, "Are we ready to go?"

"We are, Rick told us you didn't know where the party was going to be," Skye commented as they left to get the car.

"No, this one he kept from me," Beckett replied. "Well, besides the one in San Jose," she said with a smile looking at him. "But I think I know where we're going already."

"Oh?" Castle asked.

"Of course," Beckett said. "The only place I could think of that you would try to hide. The Del."

"I tried," Castle said to Skye and Mary, shrugging as they laughed at him before they got into the car. "It's in the Crown Room and I've been told it's beautiful."

"Oh, don't look at us," Skye said as she knew the two were doing that though her focus was on the road. "We've never been."

"But we tried to go," Mary said, looking back at them. "They have a Sunday brunch we wanted to try but never had the chance. But we heard the same as you Rick which was why we told that to you."

Castle smiled at his wife before they watched as they made their way over to the Coronado Bridge. "I love this bridge," he told her as he looked out the window.

"You're not alone," Skye said. "It's a beautiful one in blue."

"I think that's the reason why," Mary said.

" _Grá_ ," Skye said in a mock warning voice. "I'm not in love with you just because of your eyes."

"That seems to be something else you two have in common," Castle told her and his wife.

"I was waiting for you to say something about that," Beckett said wryly as Mary had blue eyes as well; the shade of the woman's eyes more towards a greenish blue though. "But it's not what made me fall in love with you Rick."

Castle wanted to comment on that but they were at the hotel and he looked out the window with his wife until they were stopping at the valet. When they were out of the car he held his wife's hand while they were waiting for the McDouglases to finish.

"Go ahead inside," Skye said to them. "It's your party."

"I wish I'd brought my camera," Beckett commented to her husband as they were walking up to the red roofed buildings of the hotel.

"My phone?" Castle asked her.

"It's alright, I did get a picture of it last year," Beckett commented. When they were inside the lobby she squeezed her husband's hand in reaction at the opulence of it.

Squeezing back Castle saw that someone had noticed them and as they were being led to the room where the party was he said, " _Think we can go down to the beach_?"

" _I'm getting the feeling no_ ," Beckett replied. " _Though I wish we could_ ," she said with a sigh.

"Mr. Castle, Ms. Beckett," a woman said as soon as they were inside a room. "Welcome to the Del and the Crown Room as well. If there's anything you need please let me know, I'm Alicia."

"Thank you," Castle said before they walked in further. His eyes were drawn first to the ceiling that was covered in beams and wood planks in between them. His gaze eventually went down to the rest of the room before he recalled something. "The Paradox Lodge is a little…"

"Outdoors-y in decoration?" Beckett asked, having looked around herself already. When he nodded she kissed his cheek and said, "I could care less and I'm assuming we won't be inside much."

"I hope not," Castle replied. "Now there's just the issue of Mother…"

Beckett laughed softly at his tone and she squeezed his arm before they made their way to the windows at the other end. " _Why do I get the feeling they're trying to make us stay in here_ ," she said wryly in Irish as the view was of a parking lot.

"Probably," Castle said in amusement. He turned around as he saw that the McDouglases were walking in and when he saw that the workers were nearly finished with their setting up they'd been doing since they walked in he said, "I should tell you Kate; they're-"

"Are we having their brunch menu for dinner?" Mary asked him in shock before he could finish.

"Surprise," Castle said.

"How did you do it?" Beckett asked after the two women had thanked her husband.

"I said we wouldn't come unless they had that," Castle replied. "And amazingly they agreed to it."

"I can't wait," Mary said eagerly before they looked as people were starting to walk in.

For some time, Castle and Beckett were greeting people that made their way over to them; many of them from the San Diego area. They were a little more interested in meeting those people that time as they hadn't met many fans in the city.

"We've been doing a lot of sightseeing," Beckett was telling a couple that had just arrived, having told them she loved their city when they'd asked if she and Castle had seen any of it.

"A lot; today in fact we were at-" Castle began.

"Balboa Park," the man of the couple said. When the two looked startled he explained, "Someone took a picture of you, posted it to Facebook."

"But it's great you've been enjoying the city," the woman said. "Would Ms. McDouglas mind if speak to her?"

"You mean Skye?" Beckett asked; not surprised at the request since they'd heard it several times already when people recognized the investigator from the articles about Flight 139 and the case back in LA. When both nodded she said with a smile, "She won't mind."

"I think she's getting used to it by now," Castle commented when they were alone for a moment watching the couple head over to Skye.

"I don't think she enjoys it," Beckett said with a smile. "At least she's gracious."

"You were too," Castle said.

"You always remember the first of your book parties I went to," Beckett told him. "By the way, the signing?"

"Right now," Castle said with a sigh as he saw Alicia walking over to them after a table had been set up in front of where the food would be placed during the end of the signing they would do for all the guests.

"Cheer up Rick," Beckett said. "There are only seventy people here so we'll finish soon enough."

"And eat," Castle said before he put a smile on his face for a woman walking up to them.

* * *

"It's official," Skye said with a smile. "I'm stuffed, completely stuffed."

"Dessert?" Castle commented as he sat down with them after getting a donut from the station there was.

Becket smiled as the woman groaned at the sight of the donut with marshmallows and pieces of fudge on it. "Any more love?" she asked.

"No, this is… more than enough," Castle replied. He paused and then said, "Split with me?"

"Why?" Beckett asked after taking a sip of her sparkling apple cider she'd been discreetly given with her food.

"I'm worried about my svelte figure," Castle said, straightening his back.

"Wow, you are so drunk," Mary said jokingly before they all began to laugh together.

"Cut it in half," Beckett said before he could continue.

"I was going to say," Castle said as he was doing so to with a knife. "I want to be able to seat my horses for the games."

"Your season's coming up," Skye commented.

"He's ecstatic for it," Beckett told them.

"I don't blame you," Mary said. "We've seen some video of your matches; you're a great scorer."

"I try," Castle said modestly. When his wife looked at him he glanced down deliberately to the piece of donut he'd cut off his half before looking back up at her. Looking at her again he was about to glance down when she picked up the piece and as he opened his mouth for her she popped it into her own. "I asked for that didn't I?" he said in amusement.

"You did," Beckett said, having been cutting off a piece of her half. She then fed it to him, keeping him from licking the chocolate that had been on the donut off her fingers, doing that herself as she held his gaze.

" _Should we try and make up a reason to go_?" Skye asked the two teasingly in Irish.

" _No, we'll manage_ ," Castle said, somehow tearing away his gaze from his wife.

"It looks like we're finished," Mary said once they all had their plates cleared on the table. "Now what? You've done the singings."

"Music," Beckett said as some began to play. "Come on love," she said to her husband, starting to stand up. As she'd done so she was startled when Skye whispered to her in Russian and she glanced over to her as she began.

" _Yesli vash vzglyad mozhet szhech' osezhdu, kotoruyu vy by kak byt' golym pryamo seychas_ ," the investigator said before she winked at her friend.

Castle was surprised to see his wife slightly frozen though he had no idea what it meant and he was about to ask her if she still wanted to dance when she turned to him and they walked out to the cleared space near the entrance of the room where the food stations had been. "Should I ask what she said?" he asked.

Unable to help her cheeks heating up a bit Beckett said, in Irish as there were others around them, " _If your gaze could burn off clothes you'd both be naked right now_."

"Ah," Castle said. He laughed shortly and then said, " _Almost sounded Irish there. But I suppose she noticed that between us_."

" _She was at the table with us, short of her doing that with_ Mary _at the same time she would notice_ ," Beckett said, moving her arms to around his neck.

" _If we get a faster song next_ ," Castle said as they looked over to see the McDouglases were dancing near the edge of the guests doing so.

" _I'll dance with_ Skye," Beckett finished with a smile as she looked at him. " _I could tell_ ," she said when he looked at her in surprise. She brushed her lips against his before they then pressed their foreheads together until the music was ending.

At the same time Castle and Beckett were parting Skye and Mary had already done so, beginning to talk to each other before they noticed the two approaching them.

"I think it's your turn _grá_ ," Skye said to her wife.

"And yours," Beckett said. When the investigator looked at her with wide eyes she said, "I'm asking you to dance."

"Okay," Skye said before the song started and she heard it was a faster, jazzy instrumental. "Okay," she said again, her voice a bit stronger. She watched Castle take her wife's hand and then they began to dance before she turned to Beckett. " _Ever danced with a girl before_?" she asked in Russian.

" _With you at the reception in Ireland_ ," Beckett replied.

" _Then let me lead_ ," Skye told her before she took her hand and they began to dance. She only held her by the hands; feeling a little awkward at doing anything else to be in hold with her; and they moved before she spun her friend around once near the end. They laughed together before she said, " _Would you tell_ Julia _about this_?"

" _Should I_?" Beckett asked, not keeping her voice down since they were speaking in Russian again.

" _I think so, she might like the idea of her mum breaking boundaries and not giving a damn about me being a girl too… again_ ," Skye said. " _And speaking of girls_ …" she said as she spotted her wife and Castle making their way around others to them. " _We're about to step out but we'll be back_."

"Where are they going?" Castle asked his wife as he led her over to the drinks once she'd asked him to take her over to them.

"Out," Beckett said simply. When he handed her another glass of sparkling cider she sipped at it thirstily before saying, "I want the same Rick."

"Okay," Castle said, looking at the couples ahead of them dancing to the next song. "Now," he said with a nod of his head, reaching for her hand.

Though for a moment Beckett was worried someone would try to stop them they were soon outside and she breathed in deeply as her husband made his way to a path that seemed to go around the hotel. When they reached the part looking out on the ocean she said, "I wanted to go down there but we should probably stay."

"We should," Castle replied. "Listen, do you sense anything right now?"

Slightly startled at the way he'd turned so serious Beckett said, "No, why?" A second later it came to her and she sighed saying, "Rick, I don't-"

"Did you guys follow us?" Skye said as she and Mary were walking down the path to them.

"No, you went this way?" Castle asked in surprise at the sight of the two.

"You didn't say where you were going," Beckett was quick to point out to them.

"You weren't even out here for that long," Castle said, studying the way Mary's bun was slightly mussed.

"Do you really need that much time?" the doctor said.

"Maybe not," Castle said since she was looking pointedly at her.

"We're going back in," Skye said. "Oh and as to what you said; the so-called Kate Morgan isn't out here; up in the hotel as that's where she died."

"I tried," Castle said with a sigh when his wife looked at him with a smile.

"Should we go?" Beckett asked.

"Yes, but one thing before we do," Castle said. He brought her closer against him and leaned down, kissing her deeply on the lips before she was responding a second later. He lingered for as long as he dared; since there were people down on the beach they could hear; and they parted slowly when he felt they'd gone for as long as they could. " _I adore you_ Kate," he murmured.

" _I adore you too_ Rick. _But you need to hurry_ ," Beckett replied.

With a nod Castle held her hand tightly and led her over to the room, keeping in mind their need to return to their room as he was even more determined to get them back to the hotel sooner than they'd been told.

* * *

"We'll see you down there at six," Skye said.

"Are you sure it's alright?" Beckett asked her as they were embracing each other.

"Only an eleven minute drive," Mary commented. "We're just going to drop you off if that's okay."

"We can navigate the airport," Castle said in reassurance. "As long as you get us to the right terminal."

"I will," Skye said, giving him a quick hug. "And we'll see you… soon I hope."

"Maybe if you go to Lake Placid," Castle said. "Thanks for being tour guides; in case I forget to say it to you two tomorrow."

"You're welcome," Skye said before she and Mary said a last goodnight to the two and disappeared into their room.

Beckett reached out to her husband's hand and took it before they started to walk together to the elevators. When they were going up to their floor she said to her husband, "We can't do much."

"We also need to pack," Castle said with a sigh.

"That's why I mentioned it," Beckett told him, smiling a little at his reaction. She then let him lead her off the elevator when it had stopped and they made their way together to their room. Inside once the door was secure for the night they turned their attention to their suitcases and after her husband had set hers on the bed first she said, "What is it?" as he'd stopped her from walking to the closet.

"You won't get changed, will you?" Castle asked.

Smiling at his concerned tone Beckett couldn't help herself and she leaned over, kissing him lovingly on the lips before she slowly pulled away. "I won't, hurry," she urged him before she began to pull her hair down from its bun.

Nodding Castle went after her to get his clothes and once they were packed he said, "Now…"

"Come here," Beckett said, pulling his hand to go over to the couch. She sat down looking out on the bay before she then watched him sit facing opposite. "Really?" she asked before he leaned down to kiss her shoulder through the cover of her dress. He went down a bit on her arm until he had reached her skin and she shivered heavily in pleasure before she said, "Help me."

Castle didn't need to ask with what as he reached for the zipper on the back, needing to turn to the side slightly to be able to do so. He pulled it slowly, waiting for her to tell him to stop and immensely pleased when she didn't and it was fully open. He couldn't stop himself and he proceeded to kiss over her back wildly, shuddering at the warmth and smoothness of her skin until finally he pushed himself up so he was standing looking down at her.

"Already?" Beckett asked in amusement as she stood up to follow him.

"You realize that I can't resist you right?" Castle asked her.

"I would hope so," Beckett said. "Help me," she said once more, not surprised when he rushed over to her to help her get the dress off her body. "Oh no," she said when he started to reach for her legs. "Those stay on."

Shuddering in joy at the way her voice became seductive Castle said, "What about that?"

Leaning over Beckett brushed her lips against his and then moved to get onto the bed, lying directly in the middle once she had a pillow under her head. "I think," she told him as she reached her leg for him to hold while he was standing next to the bed. "I want you to undress for me."

"Anything for you love," Castle said completely seriously, his voice husky with desire.

Beckett looked on, her heart beating rapidly in her chest as her husband started with his blazer. That was quick to be discarded and she propped herself up on her elbows to get a better look as he was working on his shirt after it was out of his trousers. She couldn't stop herself, getting up on her knees after discarding her heels as she could feel them in the way and going to him to cover his chest with both her hands, caressing it lovingly. "Let me…" she began to say before he could go to his trousers after the belt was off.

"By all means," Castle said seriously. He watched her opening the fly and managed to start to push the black fabric off his hips before she was greedily reaching for his boxers. "I swear I had no idea we'd match," he said when she looked at him as her panties were a dark blue as were his boxers.

"It doesn't matter," Beckett replied, opening them to allow his erection out. When he grunted she wasn't surprised as he was still straining against the fabric that constrained him. She tried to not to do so too hard, nearly tearing off the boxers before she moved away and watched him take off his clothes himself. Biting her lower lip as he came to her she crawled backward on her hands and feet before she was about to lie on the bed again. But he stopped her before she could do so and she asked, "How?"

"Lay down, but you're not going to for long," Castle said, his voice far deeper. When she had done so he tried not to tear her panties while getting them off; just able to do so; before he helped her up. "You trust me," he stated, looking deep into her eyes.

"Yes," Beckett breathed out. When he whispered then into her ear she almost immediately bit at her lower lip before he finished. Nodding wordlessly, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he held her tightly and they were soon kissing one another deeply. She was pleased when that went on forever it seemed like but they eventually parted and she said, "Should I display myself?"

"Maybe I shouldn't have suggested that," Castle said slowly. He was startled when his wife caressed his face and then turned away from him to lean flush against the headboard that he'd requested. He was going to tell her that he had changed his mind when he heard her moaning softly under her breath. "You…" he began.

"I need something," Beckett said breathily. She gasped in shock when he nearly shoved his entire body against hers but just managed to recover before she felt him thrusting against her ass. "Oh! Wait, you said you wanted to-" she started to say before a second later his hand was slapping her ass roughly. She cried out in a perverted sense of joy though it wasn't all that painful and she felt him hit her again. But that time he was far more hesitant and she groaned before she turned around and flattened him on the bed on his stomach.

"Kate?" Castle asked in shock. When he felt her hand on his ass a second later he let out a hissing groan of joy before he turned around and grabbed her. He had no idea why they started to wrestle against one another, only recalling that doing it naked was very nice and they needed to do it more often. When they stopped he was on top of her, holding her wrists down and saying, "I think I have you where I want you love."

"Me too," Beckett said. She'd been about to wrap her legs around him before he moved, leaning down to her neck to press some gentle kisses there. She realized what he was going to do and though she wanted to stop him she allowed him to get to her breasts where he spent some time suckling fervently at them to her delight. But when he was about to move further down she stopped him and was flipping him around once more.

"Oh god… don't make me wait," Castle told her as he thought she would pleasure him.

"Don't worry, I don't want to either," Beckett replied with a smile. She brushed her lips against his before she pulled back and kissed his neck as he'd started on with her. She went down soon after to his chest and kissed her way over it lovingly before she allowed herself to focus on his nipples.

Hissing outright when his wife used both her mouth and her tongue on the taut nubs Castle held onto her, trying not to be too rough with her before she moved again. He watched her as she moved down again to his abdomen, not surprised when she kissed around his erection only a few times before she picked up his member carefully in her hands. He was digging his nails down into the bed in reaction to her kissing around his length, unsure he'd be able to really resist the warmth of her touch and the way she made his body throb even harder. Finally, she stopped and he breathed out heavily before he grabbed her and made her straddle him as he sat on his knees. "We'll move," he said as he could tell she wanted to protest the position.

"Then we should start?" Beckett asked jokingly.

"Yes," Castle said breathily as they stared intensely at each other.

Without another word both Castle and Beckett began to thrust against one another at the same time roughly since they were both on their knees. They wrapped their arms tightly around each other and soon were kissing as the pleasure of the moment was hitting them incredibly hard. And as they were beginning to kiss they could feel their need to draw out their lovemaking as already it was making them feel like they could climax rapidly. But they concentrated on just feeling one another, touching each other, until they finally stopped in the middle of a kiss; waiting until it was over to speak to one another.

"This isn't going to help us," Beckett told him.

"I know but we can always move," Castle replied. He leaned over and kissed her gently before pulling away. He was going to speak when all of a sudden, his wife made him bow his head. Aware of what she wanted already he reached up and very gently cupped her breasts before he brushed his lips across them randomly. After doing that for a while; to Beckett crying out and clutching at the back of his head in response; he then took her nipples in turn suckling at them hungrily until she pulled him away. "You wanted-" he started to say in protest. He was cut off when she moved then, getting off him and laying on her back.

"Rick?" Beckett asked after she'd been laying there for a while with her husband just staring at her. She gasped when he lunged at her suddenly and that slid into a gasp of joy as he was kissing her. He was at her breasts and very quickly moving around them until she was left writhing against him. His touch was a reminder that she had stopped her pleasure by moving and she was getting a little frustrated though she'd been the one who'd ceased. "Please… Rick," she whispered in a mix of annoyance and arousal.

Moving away finally Castle said, "Give me your leg," touching her left. Once he had it in hand he moved it so her ankle was on his shoulder and looking down at her he wasn't surprised when her other leg wrapped around his waist firmly. As a last touch, he took her hand and made her help him getting him back inside of her. He had to grind his teeth together to try and withstand the shock of pleasure she provided him just by her holding him and sliding her fingers along him. Just as he was about to sink within her though he was frozen as it came to him that she wasn't stopping moving over him.

Hearing the way her husband was cursing in Irish and English near her ear Beckett was going to linger moving her fingers around him before she realized she would have to stop. After doing so there was no surprise when he thrust once, and hard, until they were coupled and he remained still. "We won't last," she suddenly breathed out, not surprised when her voice was slightly strangled.

"Yeah, it's… possible though," Castle told her, his voice distorted as well. "Should I-" he started to say.

"No," Beckett interrupted, wrapping her arms and legs around him a little tighter. "No just… wait."

"Good idea," Castle said, about to protest but finding he couldn't do it as he watched her biting at her lower lip, her head turned to the side. He found his mouth beginning to water and he bowed his head, pressing his lips along the line of her jaw until she turned her head to allow him to take her lips. He was careful, trying not to take out his desperation on her as he was having to fight the building need to move again. But soon she took over; making it heavily passionate and he had no choice but to follow as he couldn't resist her tongue snaking past his lips to his own.

Beckett wasn't sure either one of them felt the exact moment they started to thrust or else they'd just started and realized it well after the fact. In the end, she didn't think it mattered as she could feel the friction building up between them both since they were moving fast immediately. They were kissing hard before he moved away and as she felt his lips along her neck she squeezed her eyes shut tightly, overwhelmed by the way her husband was moving deeper in her when he suddenly angled his hips down on her a little more than they already were. She cried out, attempting to speak, but couldn't say a word until he was slowing down and stopping, taking away some of the contact with her clit he'd achieved. "Oh… god," she breathed out heavily in pleasure as she cupped the back of his head. "You're… don't do what you did the other night."

"I could make you pass out," Castle said, panting himself though he forced the words out.

"Not tonight," Beckett said.

Nodding, as he knew she was thinking of the next day, Castle then leaned down and drifted his lips a little lazily over her collarbone that he could reach before he was jolted by his wife's left leg suddenly hitting his lower back.

"Sorry," Beckett said, unable to help smiling at him at his stunned face. "I was getting uncomfortable."

"Either that or you're planning on taking over," Castle said wryly to her. He had expected a smile; or at the very least a roll of her eyes; and was startled when she instead became serious. "What?" he asked.

Pulling him a little down to her Beckett whispered into his ear and when he pulled away she shrugged and said, "We don't have to stop after this."

"No," Castle said as he realized that she was right but he knew their night wasn't going to last for too long. So, with her request in mind he leaned down and kissed her, making it passionate again, before he began to thrust again.

Her nails raking over her husband's back Beckett tried to move the best she could in time with him though it was difficult. But it never really bothered her and instead she just allowed her body to move on instinct, knowing it wanted to follow Castle. While she was busy with that she kissed his cheek as he'd pressed it to hers before then, at the same time moving her hands up to his head. She raked her nails again on him but that time on his scalp, feeling his reaction as his hips were suddenly smacking against hers. Her legs instinctively tightened around him until he slowed down. She was nearly holding her breath, waiting for him to stop, when he began to speed up again and she realized instantly what he was going to do.

For some time Castle was repeating that cycle, moving as hard and fast as he could before slowing down. When he knew they were nearly at the end of their endurance he stopped but just to be able to kiss her before he moved once more and then whispered into her ear, "Come for me my love, I can feel you're so close… you feel so fucking good. I'll keep worshiping you love… just come for me now."

Her husband's words weren't exactly the last push she had needed but they seemed to make her orgasm far stronger as she was very quickly doing so after he'd finished speaking. There was little surprise to her when he began to join her and her eyes nearly rolled back into her head at the sensation of the result of their pleasure. She cried out his name in desire repeatedly, trying not to be overtaken by it though at a few instances she thought she might pass out. She lost her rhythm that matched his eventually and as she began to slow down she tried not to immediately. But her body was adamant in eventually stopping and she could only hold onto her husband as he continued to thrust almost crazily within her a few more times.

Cursing in Irish under his breath once he'd stopped Castle said, "I… I hope that wasn't too fast."

Smiling at his concern for the duration of that bout Beckett tenderly kissed his temple and said, "Does it feel like it was?"

Castle was about to answer right away when he paused and then thought about it. He could feel his wife still throbbing around him and he was as well so he guessed that it hadn't been. Kissing her tenderly he was going to move when she stopped him and said, "You don't need me here."

"Not for that," Beckett said in mock exasperation. She raised her head slightly and brushed her lips against his before she lay back down. She then began to gently run her hands over her husband's back and said, "There's still a part of me that's going to miss this."

"I was thinking the same," Castle said with a smile. He brushed his lips against hers that time before he said, "But I'm sure we'll do this again soon." He couldn't help laughing when she gave him a look and he said, "It isn't that long until we go back to Tahiti."

"No and I was thinking that myself," Beckett said, reluctantly letting him go as he was getting off her. She immediately rolled over against his side and once he was holding her she sighed and said, "But luckily it's not for a while." Looking up at him from where she had her cheek pressed to his shoulder she murmured, "And at least we don't need to stop this." She was startled when he tensed up underneath her and she raised her head asking, "What is it?"

"I forgot to tell you," Castle said slowly. "The walls at the lodge aren't really that soundproof." He then spoke quickly as she looked at him in surprise, "It's a really nice place so I thought you'd want to stay there."

"We don't have to stop," Beckett said in amusement, knowing he was saying that as he thought they would have to curtail their lovemaking while they were on vacation. "We would just have to be quiet."

"Do you really think we could though?" Castle asked; he'd already thought about having to do that and was slightly resigned to that fate.

Beckett sat up in an effort to keep her husband from seeing the way her cheeks were flushed and she tugged the sheet off the bed before wrapping it around her. She went over to the couch and sat before he joined her and said, "We'd have to try."

With a smile Castle leaned over and kissed her deeply, tangling his tongue with hers for some time before they slowly parted. Looking at her he didn't say anything, merely began to caress her hair before he carefully opened the sheet she held closed over her. He was going to lean down to her neck to begin there when she stopped him and he looked at her questioningly.

"Yes, we can practice now," Beckett told him wryly. She smiled when he immediately looked eager and she drew him down to her so they could kiss before drawing his hands down to her body underneath the sheet.

* * *

Holding his wife to him tightly Castle pressed his lips to her forehead and murmured, "We did fairly well I think."

Laughing softly Beckett raised her head enough to look at him and said, "I think we did the first time; the last two?"

"I'll take responsibility," Castle said quickly. When she smiled down at him he leaned up so they could kiss and when they slowly parted he said, "We need to sleep don't we?" At her nod, he then rubbed her back tenderly and whispered as she pressed her forehead to his, "I love you Kate."

"I love you too Rick," Beckett replied quickly as she cupped his cheeks. They kissed again, very slowly and sensuously before she laid down and he wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Goodnight," she said.

"Night," Castle said, reading the unsaid in that single word. They were together in looking forward greatly to going back to New York and their daughters, the vacation to the Adirondacks only secondary. He fell asleep with her secure against his side after they'd spoken, exhaustion mixing with excitement and knowing she was thinking the exact same before they slipped into their dreams.


	36. Autumn In New York

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: The brief lyrics I have in this chapter are from the song _Poison Ivy_ written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the version I've taken it from is sung by Linda McCartney from her album _Wide Prairie_.

A/N #2: I was pleased getting the feedback for the last chapter so let me get straight to my thank yous for that! MsNYC (Great to see that you think the group of the four of them are awesome. Though I wasn't surprised to see that you can't wait for a family reunion once Castle and Beckett go home since you're right, it's been a while since they've been with the girls. And I'm happy that you enjoy when I give more information on Skye from before they met her since I like writing that! I was so, so glad that you thought the comment about Mary's eyes was very cute. I realized I haven't described a lot of people in the story, lol, I don't know why so I decided I needed to put what I think her eyes at least look like. And of course, great to see you thought it was great writing as usual!),  
TORONTOSUN (Great you thought the first half was a good chapter of course! And really glad thought the love scenes were good between Castle and Beckett. Also, I was happy to see you like how Beckett, Skye and Mary teased Castle since that was fun to write.) and  
vetgirlmx (Great that you thought it was a very good chapter of course! And I'm not surprised you're conflicted about the end of the trip but it is nice that you don't want them to leave their friends and that you're excited for their family trip. And I'm glad you like the dogs going with them too, lol, figured that would be fun! And I'm relieved you love the fact that the similarities between Beckett were mentioned a lot. I haven't really delved into them too much but decided to go ahead and do it a little more. And it's funny you mentioned that explains why they became so close 'cause I had something in mind with that for the future but yeah, it would. I'm glad you enjoyed Beckett and Skye dancing together and I'm not sure why I didn't write them doing that in public… didn't fit in I suppose to me until now which is really weird. But yeah, they have danced together I've mentioned before but like you said not outside their family and friends. I'm so glad you can't wait to see what happens next though also nice that you don't want them to say goodbye but now you don't need to wait anymore!).  
Thanks so much for the reviews, I loved reading them and appreciate the time taken to write them out and send them my way!

A/N #3: The title of this chapter is the title of a song written by Vernon Duke.

Autumn In New York

"It looks like you'll get home quick today," Beckett commented as she was looking at the northbound side of the 5 they were on out the windshield.

"Most likely," Skye replied with a smile. "And we're getting to the airport in good time," she added once she pulled off the exit she needed. "So you'll have enough time getting in."

"It wouldn't be crowded still? There's not a chance?" Castle asked from the backseat with his wife.

"Of course, but I know this airport a bit well and I think you'll be fine," Skye replied. She drove along the curb and finally stopped where there was a sign for Southwest Airlines before saying, "Terminal one, we're here."

Getting out of the car first Castle went to the trunk before Skye opened it from the driver's seat and he pulled out his and his wife's carryon bags. After getting one suitcase, he let his wife take the other out before he turned to see that Skye and Mary were out of the car. "Thank you again for having us over at your place and the tour guide stuff; I did end up remembering," he said with a smile as he hugged the two briefly.

"You're welcome," Mary said first, smiling as well. "Have a safe trip back."

"Definitely," Skye said in agreement with her wife. "Have a fun time in the Adirondacks."

"We will," Castle said with a nod before he stepped out of the way for his wife.

"I think you realize the safe trip applies to you too," Mary was saying to Beckett after they'd embraced briefly.

"I did, you guys too," Beckett said, glancing at her husband.

"Oh she's right, we're hoping you guys have a safe trip too," Castle told them quickly as he realized that.

"Thanks," Mary said before she stood with Castle as their wives embraced.

"I wish we could see you over in New York sooner… and for sure," Beckett was telling Skye.

"I had the same thought," the investigator told her before they let go of each other. "But we'll keep in touch."

"Of course," Beckett replied. "I'll text you once we land."

"A picture from the woods once we get to them?" Castle asked.

"That would be nice," Skye said after she and Mary had shared a glance.

"Let us know when you get home," Beckett told the woman.

"I'll send a text," Skye said. She then said, "Thank you for your help on the case."

"It was our pleasure," Castle said. "Well… not pleasure but-"

"I think you mean to say we were glad to help," Beckett said. "Especially since we were friends with Pablo, Obek and Henrietta too."

With a nod Skye said, "We should go before they kick us out of here." She gave Beckett a second hug and told the two as she and her wife were going back to their car, "Enjoy your trip!"

"Enjoy Santa Barbara," Beckett called as they were going there the next day. She watched them leave, Mary waving out the window to them before they waved back, and then said, "We should go."

"Yeah," Castle said as he shook himself from the thought that they were really finished with their tour.

Beckett glanced at him but she couldn't say anything as they were making their way into the short line to check in at the British Airways counters. Once they had their suitcases set she said as she took his hand, "We have another vacation."

"Don't think-" Castle said quickly.

"You've told me you're eager to get back to them," Beckett said, also squeezing his hand to interrupt him. "And I know you're telling me the truth. _We can want both, actually I think we need both_."

Not surprised she spoke that last sentence in Irish, Castle spoke in it himself saying, " _It's probably why we're still together. I mean a part of that_."

Beckett could only shake her head; smiling at the same time; as they'd come to the security checkpoint. She handed over her passport and boarding pass to the TSA agent and she and her husband made their way swiftly through security; the agent looking at their bags ending up being a fan of theirs.

"Thank you both; you have a wonder flight," the woman said after Castle had set the paper he and Beckett had signed at the end of the rollers for the bags and plastic boxes.

"I hope she doesn't get in trouble for that," Castle commented after they were walking to their gate.

"Probably not," Beckett replied. "There," she said as she spotted the number next to the door to the plane. "Let's get you coffee and me some tea," she told her husband.

Without a word; only smiling at her; Castle followed her to the nearest coffee shop and once they had their drinks they sat together near some stools at a window that looked down at the tarmac and some planes parked at gates. "There's a Hawaiian," he said, looking at his wife as she was taking a picture.

"And Edelweiss Air," Beckett said. "I've never heard of it." She then took a picture of it and texted the picture to Skye. She didn't have to wait very long for a response and she read the text, knowing her husband was watching her. "She says they're only here seasonally; they fly to Zurich."

"So it's Swiss," Castle said. "And she's texting while driving," he joked.

Beckett didn't reply as she knew he was kidding and instead she texted Mary back; thanking both her and Skye. She took a few pictures of the plane before she finished her tea.

"Are we going back?" Castle asked.

"Yes," Beckett said. She wasn't surprised when her husband nearly popped out of his chair. "You can stay."

"Oh no, we've never been to this airport so I want to see all the planes we can," Castle replied. He walked with her as they made their way around the terminal, making sure he kept an eye on the time so they wouldn't miss their plane beginning to board. He was impressed by the airlines they saw there, especially the Japan Airlines where he told his wife, "That brings back memories."

"It does," Beckett said, having stopped there to take a few pictures as it was the last one they were seeing. She turned to her husband to tell him that they would have to hurry back to their gate when he was suddenly leaning down, kissing her deeply on the lips before a word could leave her mouth. She shuddered a little, breaking things off, before she murmured an apology.

"I did brush my teeth," Castle said, slightly defensively.

"No, not that," Beckett replied. She felt her cheeks flush slightly before telling him, " _I can taste you and the coffee_."

"And?" Castle asked, bracing himself for her response as she was speaking in Irish.

Beckett didn't reply to that verbally, instead she reached up for him and pulled him down to her so they could kiss again. They were doing so deeply and she cursed her camera since it wasn't allowing her to hold on to her husband. She did the best she could with her free arm and held him tightly there until they parted. "We… we need to go," she whispered, trembling slightly.

"Yeah," Castle said. But he allowed himself a brush of his lips to hers before he held her hand firmly and they went back to the gate just in time to board their plane. When they reached their chairs and had their bags in the overhead compartment he said, "You're just sleeping?"

"I would suggest the same for you," Beckett said, yawning. "You're not tired?"

"I am," Castle replied with a nod of his head. He then smiled and sat down in the aisle seat before telling her, " _Exhausted_."

" _I thought you were taking responsibility for that_ ," Beckett told him teasingly.

" _Of course, but you can't say you didn't enjoy it_ ," Castle told her in the same tone. He then leaned down and kissed her tenderly on the lips before they settled back, both yawning as they were watching people board the plane around them including the crew. Finally, the plane was backing up and he breathed out in relief before they made their way down the runway. As soon as the seatbelt sign was turned off he got the blankets in the overhead compartment for his wife and himself before they got their seats reclined. "I guess I'll see you when we're home love," he told her before they lay back.

"When we're in the city," Beckett said simply.

"The city," Castle said, a smile on his face. He leaned over and kissed her tenderly saying, "Goodnight love."

"Night Rick," Beckett replied before they kissed once more. She laid back, wondering how long it was going to take her to fall asleep as she knew they were that much closer to reaching home. To her surprise; when she woke up nearly five hours later; it wasn't very long and it made the flight that much faster.

* * *

"Did they land?" Eliza asked impatiently.

"They did," Jim said, studying his phone. "But you have to remember they need to get off the plane and then get their suitcases."

"I know, I wish they could come here now too," Julia told her little sister. She looked around and saw where their parents would come out to them, staring at it as she wanted to be the first to see her parents. She did her best not to look away and finally spotted two familiar figures. "Mommy, Daddy!" she almost screamed.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Eliza screamed out loud as she saw what her sister had.

"Go," Alexis said, having been holding onto the two by their shoulders. Once their parents were at the point where they could go to them she let them go and hurried after the girls as they were almost running to them.

"Girls," Beckett said with a wide smile, leaning down and wrapping her arms around them once they'd thrown themselves into her arms. She embraced them tightly against her before kissing them on the cheeks and said, "I missed you two."

"Me too," Julia said first once she pulled away from her.

"Yeah me too," Eliza added, nodding her head. She then squealed and hugged her harder saying, "We were waiting for a long time to see you."

"That's really nice of you," Castle commented, having been watching the three with a wide smile on his face. He'd hugged Alexis already and was waiting, slightly impatiently, for the two to come to him next.

"Daddy!" the girls cried out at the same time before they stepped over to him, hugging him tightly at the same time.

Castle knelt in front of them and kissed them gently before he ran his hands over the backs of their heads. "I agree with your mom, I missed you like crazy and I'm so glad we're back."

"Are you happy?" Eliza asked, pulling away.

"Very," Castle replied before he stood up and watched Alexis hug his wife. He then turned his attention to his mother and father in law asked as he hugged the former, "Where's Louis?"

"He's in the car with the dogs since they couldn't come in," Alexis replied.

"It's wonderful to see you both again," Martha told Beckett as she embraced her. "How was the flight?"

"It was good, we think," Castle answered. "We slept so we'd be ready for the drive."

"Should we go?" Jim asked after he'd let go of his daughter once he'd hugged her.

"I think so," Beckett said with a smile, squeezing his arm. They got their suitcases and once they were ready they headed out to the parking lot where Louis was walking the dogs around. She and Castle had a reunion with the two, Macca and Rita barking and trying to jump up on them both before they calmed them down the best they could.

"I know the way," Castle told the others once the dogs were relatively calm. "Follow me and we'll get there… late but we'll get there."

"How long Richard?" Martha asked as her son's voice was hesitant.

"Ten thirty," Castle said slowly.

"Oh no," Martha said when the girls were looking at each other in surprise. "I think we need to wait for tomorrow. We can always stay at the loft; the girls can sleep with me in my room, Louis is with Alexis and Jim can have the… can go to his place if he wants."

"I can stay in the loft on the couch again," Jim replied. "Why don't we have dinner and get to bed early since we have a five and a half hour drive?"

After everyone had agreed to that the group left for the city itself and stopped at _Stefano's_ on the way to pick up their dinner, laughing at how Martha was the only one who hadn't really needed to pack that day. The girls didn't care they weren't leaving yet, ecstatic to have their parents back and peppering their parents for questions about their trip along the West Coast and the next day once they would finally leave for Lake Placid and Adirondack Park.

* * *

"I warned you," Castle was saying to his wife when they were led into their room last out of the eight of them at the Paradox Lodge. "It's very… woods-y I guess you'd call it." When she didn't say anything he asked, "Love?"

"Don't worry," Beckett said. "I wouldn't decorate my home like this but it's not my home and we're in the woods," she told him as she tore her gaze away from the view of the lake and said woods outside their room. "We have a stunning view and we have access to the lake… it's perfect." She smiled at the grin that spread over her husband's face and she leaned over to him, kissing him tenderly on the lips. "Come on," she told him. "We got here a little later than I was hoping so let's get out there and see what we can do."

"Sure," Castle said, following her to the bed that was covered in a red and white quilt and they unpacked together. "I'm a little uncomfortable," he commented as they finished and he was setting the suitcases aside.

"Probably better someone who isn't family is next to us," Beckett told him as they were going to the door. "Would you want my dad and the girls there? Or Alexis and Louis?"

Pretending to think that over Castle said, "You're right, this worked out better."

Beckett laughed softly and they left the room together, heading downstairs to where everyone but her mother in law was. "How do you like the rooms?" she asked the five of them.

"They're really nice," Eliza said. "And you can see all the pretty trees there!"

"I know, we can too," Castle said as she hugged him against his side. "We should let them come up to our room love."

"We will, later today," Beckett said with a smile. "How's your deck?" she asked Alexis and Louis as their room had one as well as her father and the girls in their room.

"So nice, we might have some tea there tonight or coffee in the morning," Alexis answered. "Before breakfast."

"Hello everyone," Martha said. She smiled as her two youngest granddaughters rushed to her and hugged her tightly around her waist and she said, "I take it we're all pleased with our accommodations?"

"Do you like your room Gram?" Julia asked, a little hesitantly as she'd heard her father worried what she might think about the way the place was decorated.

"Of course, it's very quaint and homey which would make sense since we're in the woods now," Martha replied. "So, what are we doing today?"

"Lunch first," Beckett said. "Which we'll eat at the tables outside on the lake." She shared a smile with her husband at the way their daughters gasped and looked at each other and they began to walk together to the restaurant that was in the main lodge; their three rooms were in what was called the Cedar Lodge. While the girls were allowed to wait outside at two of the tables to save them; the two buildings had turned out to be completely booked that weekend; she ordered with her husband, wondering if they'd still try to go down to the water since the tables were by the lake.

"It's really pretty," Eliza breathed out to her sister as they stood in front of the table, looking down at the water.

"I know," Julia said, wishing she had her camera to take a picture of the trees across the lake that were changing colors. "We have to try to paint this when we go home."

"Yeah," Eliza said eagerly. "Rita!" she gasped when the Hound licked at her face.

Smiling as Macca was still seated next to her Julia said, "I think she's trying to make sure we stay."

"I will, I don't wanna go on time out," Eliza replied. She then walked over to the wood fence that was near and touched the boat hanging from there. "What is it Jules?" she asked her sister, pointing to it.

"A canoe," Alexis said, walking down to them with Louis in tow.

"Can we go on it?" Julia asked interestedly.

"I think so," Louis replied. "Your da was talking about that with your mum; they seem eager to go."

"Of course, Dad's always loved canoeing," Alexis replied, remembering the last time they'd done that. She blanched inwardly as she recalled it had been on the hiking trip with Ashley and she turned her attention to the view to try and forget that. "Look at the trees," she said with more force than she realized.

"Do you have trees like that at home?" Eliza asked Louis.

"Oh aye, but I've never seen a park like this one. You Yanks have us licked a bit with this one for the fall," Louis said. "Though we have a few parks over in Europe."

"Birdie!" Eliza nearly screamed when she saw the crane alight in the water near them.

"Eliza!" Castle and Beckett called at the same time, walking down with the food and their parents behind them.

"I wasn't gonna go," Eliza said hurriedly, turning around as Rita jumping in front of her scared off the heron.

"Come and eat," Beckett said. When they were sitting she said, "What do you think of the trees?" asked her daughters as they were flanking her at Castle's insistence.

"Oh, they're beautiful," Julia whispered. "I can get my camera after, right?"

"Yep, your mom… oh, she has it," Castle said before he spotted her holding it. "But you can get them before we head on to the Chubb." He couldn't help chuckling slightly at the way the girls looked at him in complete bewilderment and explained, "It's a river near here; we were going to spend the day there until it starts getting darker."

"What time is that tonight?" Martha asked.

"Around seven, right?" Castle said.

"Don't look at me, I have no idea," Beckett said. "And I think we're coming back at four," she told him. "We may be on vacation but I don't want the girls going to bed too late."

"At least we get to stay out until then," Castle said. "Love," he then told her when he saw Rita watching a duck on the lake near them then.

Whistling for the Ibizan Hound, Beckett had her sit close to Eliza before she turned back to her food and she asked the others, "Does anyone else want to go canoeing?"

"Are we going now?" Alexis asked.

"It's why we're coming back at four," Castle explained. "We can use these three canoes if they're here for an hour."

"I want to go!" Julia said eagerly.

"Me too!" Eliza said, raising her hand and making the others laugh.

"We will," Castle said. "For now, let's head down to the river!"

After they had cleared the table the family got back in their cars with the dogs and headed southwest from the lodge before they reached the part of the Chubb River that he knew from his previous visit to the area. When they were down on the shaded banks of the river and had everything ready the girls went with their parents first into the water to wade.

"It's still warm," Julia said.

"Yeah we can go and swim!" Eliza said eagerly, kicking at the water.

"Is that why you brought us back here?" Beckett asked her husband with a smile.

"It was almost like a mini-lake," Castle said. He then made a slight face and said, "I guess that would make it a pond. Anyways I remembered it since it'll be calm enough for the girls."

"We can swim?" Julia asked as she and her sister were listening closely to their parents.

"I have no idea how deep it is," Castle said to his wife's look.

"Let us try that out first and then we'll see what we can do," Beckett told the two. She wasn't surprised when the girls started to rush back to Eliza's vest and she followed them with Castle. They took off the covers over their swim clothes and soon after she and her husband were going into the warm water, walking hand in hand partially in case they would need to and partially because they wanted to.

"Oh, not too deep," Castle said before he gasped.

"It's a fish Rick," Beckett said in amusement as he nearly fell into the water jumping away from her.

"I guess we can let them in," Castle said as they were in the middle and he was just barely shoulder deep.

"Alexis," Beckett called as they turned back to where their daughters were waiting with their big sister and Louis.

"Are our parents going to swim?" Castle commented as they waited for the four to swim to them.

"I don't know," Beckett said with a shrug before she held her arms out to Eliza who made a beeline for her. Kissing her cheek, she heard the little girl gasp and told her, "It's just a fish sweetie. That's what scared your daddy."

"Hey!" Castle said. When his wife looked at him he said, "I was startled, not scared."

"If you say so Dad," Alexis commented. "That sounded like a scared gasp."

Castle narrowed his eyes at her but was very quickly distracted by Julia trying to climb on his back. He helped her up and said, "Did we mention how much we missed the two of you?"

"You mean the three," Beckett corrected him as she was kneeling slightly and then standing to let Eliza get wet up to her neck.

"It's alright, I know he meant me too," Alexis told her stepmother with a wide smile. "And they really missed you guys but they kept asking us if you'd come home early."

"She's right," Louis commented, swimming up to them after he'd gone down a little away from them. "But more they were scared you'd come early."

"You were supposed to go together for two weeks," Julia was quick to explain.

"Well we did stay," Castle said.

"We also had to work," Beckett said. "We were doing that last night so we stayed our whole trip."

"Were you serious?" Alexis then asked her stepmother and father. "Are you planning on a road trip?"

"Yep," Castle said simply with a wide smile. "After what we got to see we have to share it with you guys; we can't be greedy."

"When can we do that?" Eliza asked.

"We're not sure," Beckett began. "We need to wait and see what our plans are in the future. But your daddy is right we want to share."

"Can we swim now?" Eliza asked.

"Sure, I've got them love," Castle told his wife as both girls were with him.

"Wait," Beckett said, grabbing Alexis' arm before she could swim away.

"What?" the young woman asked in surprise as she turned to look at her.

"You need to know," Beckett said, slightly uncomfortably before she pushed on. "The walls in the lodges are not soundproof."

My dad said that?" Alexis asked. When her stepmother nodded she breathed out and said, "Thanks we… um, thanks," she said, cutting herself off when she realized what Beckett was going to say. She looked at her and saw the understanding expression on her face before she whispered, "I don't know how you raise two kids and still have time alone together."

"You did eventually put them to bed, right?" Beckett asked in amusement.

"We did," Alexis replied, knowing her cheeks were likely on fire. "I guess that's a good point."

"It's a good time," Beckett replied. "Come on, we better follow them."

Alexis nodded before she impulsively hugged her stepmother tightly saying, "Thank you for being so understanding."

"It's not hard; I was your age once too," Beckett said before they let go of each other. "Though you're luckier than I was."

"I am," Alexis breathed, looking over at her boyfriend who was swimming in circles with Eliza on his back to her delighted cries. She then shook herself and said, "You do have my dad now." When she didn't get any response to that she glanced at Beckett and tried not to laugh when she saw her stepmother was staring at Castle who was ducking under the water with Julia. "Kate?" she asked, touching her shoulder. When her stepmother jerked slightly she asked, "Swim?"

"Let's go," Beckett said quickly.

"It's amazing to see Alexis so close with her," Martha commented to Jim as they watched the two swimming to the others.

"Was she never close with his other… his second wife?" Jim asked.

"Well she never outright hated her or his past girlfriends," Martha replied. "But she didn't bother to get close because she knew they'd be gone soon. Kate's been the difference." She then turned to Beckett's father and said, "Luckily Alexis knew her already and how she was and she loved her."

"And now? As a mother?" Jim asked.

"Essentially the same but she feels closer to her than when she was just her father's work partner," Martha replied. "Don't worry, she loves her family."

"Are you going to join them?" Jim asked as he stood up then to remove the shirt he was wearing.

"No, I prefer saying right where I am and admire the view of the woods," Martha replied. "Enjoy."

"You know they'll bring you in, right?" Jim said before he headed down to the river.

"I know but until then I'll stay," Martha replied.

Walking into the water Jim found his timing was good as the group was coming back towards him and he waved at them before saying, "How is it?"

"Really calm," Castle said first as he was closest to him. "And great you're coming in, Eliza was just asking about her grandfather."

"I wanted you to come and swim," the little girl said with a wide smile as she was allowed to swim to him. "Are you happy you got to come Grandpapa?"

"I am," Beckett's father replied before he watched his daughter swimming after Julia, both laughing heavily together.

Ducking under the water when they stopped Julia popped back up soon after and saw that her mother had done the same next to her. Though she needed to tread the water she was throwing her arms tightly around her neck and said happily, "I'm so glad you're back."

"So am I," Beckett said.

"We'll stop saying that soon," Julia said as she realized she and her sister had been saying that every once in a while since they'd seen their parents the day before.

"It's okay, we feel the same way," Castle said. "Love what about the dogs?"

Looking over to where the two were sitting on the bank watching them Beckett looked at the girls and asked, "Who thinks Macca will come in?"

"He will, just call him to come in Mommy," Eliza said.

With a wide smile on her face Beckett whistled three times quickly in a row; the signal to the two to come in together. She was surprised when they quickly did so and watched Rita go over to Castle and Macca to Julia. As they began to play with them and their family she watched her husband, seeing the joy on his face as they plated fetch in the water with a stick they had found.

Eventually the family took a break after they'd been swimming for nearly an hour, Castle bringing out the watermelon he'd managed to get from the hotel as the others watched him closely and the girls looked at it interestedly as it was big.

"How exactly are you going to cut that Dad?" Alexis asked as he set it on the cooler it had been in.

"Might I ask where you got that cooler?" Louis then said.

"The hotel, I wanted to make sure this was cold," Castle said. "And as for cutting this…" he began before pulling a knife out of the cooler. "Kate?"

"You don't think you could do it?" Beckett asked jokingly as she took the knife from him.

"I could but not sure how steady I can hold it," Castle replied.

"Get me a towel," Beckett said. She watched as Julia rushed to get one and waited for her to put it on the cooler while her husband held the fruit. When it was set back down she then held it before swinging down the knife as soon as the girls were out of the way. She nodded at the sight of the very red fruit that was inside once it split in half and said, "They gave us a good one."

"But…" Castle started to say as she handed the knife to him. When she just looked at him pointedly he sighed but took it as they had found he was better at cutting the fruit and more rapidly. He did so then, cutting off large slices and handing them out to the girls first, then Alexis and Louis before his and Beckett's parents and finally for his wife and himself. He was about to sit down when Eliza went over to him and he said, "You should eat your first piece first sweetheart," as she hadn't even taken a bite yet.

"No, give one to Macca and Rita," Eliza replied.

"Well…" Castle started to say.

"Small slices," Beckett said. "Is it cool enough?"

Touching the flesh Castle cut off a slice and then cut out the red fruit before he cut that in half and he called to the dogs. He fed the pieces to them, watching them devour them and he said as he sat next to his wife, "We did feed them, right?"

"We did," Beckett said in amusement as she was wiping off Eliza's mouth. "It must have been the swimming."

"I thought Macca didn't like going in the water?" Jim asked when they were eating their second slices.

"I think it's more the chlorine in the pool he doesn't like," Beckett said. "Since he will go in the water at the beach."

"Plus there are fish," Castle commented. He was startled when Eliza gave a distressed cry and looking at her asked, "What is it?"

"Macca isn't gonna eat a fishie is he?" the little girl asked in concern.

"He won't," Beckett said, wrapping her arm around her while Eliza pressed close to her. "They're too fast."

"Macca!" Julia cried out in a groan as the dog was beginning to lick at her chin where some of the watermelon juice had dripped.

"Julia?" Beckett said.

"Yeah?" the girl asked once she'd calmed Macca down and had gotten him to stop.

"You never said yesterday how your dance class went," Beckett told her.

"Oh, it was good," Julia replied. She then smiled and said, "We worked on the trio dance we have to do and then the Swing marathon."

"Did you ever send her the video?" Castle asked his wife.

"I… no," Beckett said when she realized that she hadn't. She fished in her bag for her phone and opened the video clip, motioning Julia to come over to her as the girl was sitting at the very end of the blankets they'd set down.

Interested Julia looked down at the screen and watched as Skye and Mary began to dance on it. "They're dancing Swing!" she said in amazement.

"They learned together after they learned Flamenco," Beckett explained.

"How'd they do?" Castle asked.

"Good, but they danced with all those people around?" Julia asked. When her parents nodded she then asked, "Did anyone say anything?"

"A few of them recognized her," Beckett said with a smile as she knew her daughter was asking if anyone had protested the two women dancing together. "And spoke to her."

"They recognized us too," Castle commented.

"How were your games?" Martha asked the two.

With a laugh Beckett said, "We really only had it during the signing in San Francisco."

"Which she won," Castle said.

"Nothing in San Diego?" Alexis asked in surprise.

"Not at Horton Plaza," Beckett replied. "We didn't get a thing there which was a relief."

"And the last night at the party it was mostly couples," Castle said. "So we didn't bother with it."

"Can we go back in the water?" Eliza asked then as her father was putting the watermelon half they still had away.

"Sure," Beckett replied. "But let's just wade for now okay?"

"Wait for me," Castle said quickly, closing the lid of the cooler hard before he rushed to where they were already ankle deep in the water.

The girls crying out as the dogs splashed them along with their father Beckett sighed and said, "Really?"

"What? It's not like the water's freezing," Castle said, smiling as Eliza jumped at him and he picked her up, throwing her up in the air slightly.

Smiling as she watched her little sister crying out in pleasure Alexis said to her boyfriend, "Want to head up river?"

"What, to see the salmon?" Louis asked jokingly. When she just grabbed his hand pulling him after her he smiled and then simply followed as they went after saying goodbye to Martha and Jim.

"Aren't they gonna come with us?" Eliza asked, watching the two going.

"Let them take a walk together," Beckett replied, squeezing her hand as she was on Castle's shoulders.

"They had to take care of us Lizzy," Julia told her sister. "So now they can relax."

"I don't think it was that difficult to take care you two," Jim said as he walked into the river with the dogs following him.

"What is it?" Beckett asked, seeing the frown on Eliza's face.

"Let me down Daddy," the little girl told him. As soon as she was down she walked; since she was only knee deep; over to Martha and said, "Come on Gram!"

Though she was going to protest Castle's mother realized that she couldn't; not with the expression on her granddaughter's face; and she allowed Eliza to make her stand up before they walked into the water. "Oh," Martha said in slight surprise. "You're right, it is warm."

"Welcome Mother," Castle said with a smile. "I'd been wondering if she was going to do this."

"Me too," Martha said, watching Eliza run over to her mother and sister. She then turned back to her son and said, "This was a wonderful idea."

"Thanks," Castle replied. He then said, "I forgot to tell you and Jim," looking at his father in law as he was approaching them. "Next year we have our plans for Spring Break. Well, we thought of them I need to see what you two are going to do before we can get things set."

"It's the week of the birthdays, isn't it?" Jim asked.

"It is," Castle said with a smile. "We're going to go around the north part of the state though since Eliza's older and will remember more," he told them.

Beckett, coming back with the girls and dogs to them, waited a little nervously as she wondered what their reaction would be to that.

"So you have something big in mind," Martha said to her son.

"You could say that," Castle began.

"We'd like to take them to Niagara Falls," Beckett said quickly as she had a feeling her husband was going to drag out telling them.

"Really?" Julia asked with wide eyes. She saw the others were looking at her so she explained, "We learned about it in school, Dawn saw them and said they were really pretty."

"How long would you stay?" Jim asked.

"Well we have in mind a museum," Castle said. "In Rochester which isn't too far away. I was thinking," he then said, directing that mostly to his wife. "We could rent a house for the week near Youngstown. Though that might change of course, it's just preplanning at this point."

"What's so special about there?" Julia asked.

"You didn't let me finish," Castle said jokingly. "Rent a lake house on Lake Ontario and go around from there. To the falls, the museum and zoo."

"Zoo?" the girls said at the exact same time.

"Yes," Beckett said with a smile at them. "Why wouldn't we stay in Rochester since two of those are there?"

"I figured they would want to see the lake," Castle said with a shrug.

"Okay," Beckett said. "Do you think you could join us?"

"What about 'lexis?" Eliza asked before her grandparents could say anything.

"She'll be in between breaks," Castle said. "But you have to ask her about that."

"She should go," Julia said quickly. "And Louis should come with us too; he's gonna live here isn't he?"

"What about me?" Alexis asked, walking back holding onto Louis' hand tightly. When the girls explained their idea about Spring Break in a rush she was smiling but then looked at her father and stepmother to explain more clearly which they did. "Well I'm off for break then so I can go," she said before looking at her boyfriend.

Shaking his head Louis said, "I'm not sure about Erin's break."

"Come with us too," Eliza said earnestly to him.

"She's right, we're extending you and your family an invitation," Castle said when his wife looked pointedly at him. "And Julia's right, if you're going to live here after college you should see some of the state."

"I look forward to that; especially the falls since I have heard of them," Louis said. He sighed and said, "I just hope my da and step mom could join us." He then seemed to realize something and said, "I accept your invitation by the way, I'll ask them later."

"You think they'd be able to join us?" Castle asked.

"If Erin's off I think they would," Louis replied.

"Then we have everyone set," Martha commented as she noticed the girls were trying to step deeper into the river.

"They're fine," Beckett said to her mother in law, watching as Macca went around in front of Julia who was in the lead.

"When we get home, I'll find the house so we can get it in time and start getting the other stuff ready," Castle said. With that done he watched his mother and Jim step out of the water before Louis was following them. He turned his attention to his wife but saw she was going deeper into the water with the girls and the dogs. He smiled at Alexis and said, "Your lips are all swollen."

"And I've seen yours the same way," the young woman replied, not embarrassed though. "Thanks for inviting him."

"It was the girls' idea first," Castle said. "I think they love him."

"He's a good brother so he acted the same way with them," Alexis replied. "Could we take a canoe on our own later on the lake?"

"Sure, I'm not sure if your gram and Jim will take one but Kate and I want to take the girls," Castle replied.

"It seems like you missed them-" Alexis began as they got deeper in the water.

"And you," Castle quickly interrupted her.

"Us," Alexis corrected before she hugged him with one arm. "Like you missed us a little more this time."

"I talked with her about that," Castle said as he looked out at his wife who was exploring the other bank of the river with the girls. "We think it was because we knew you weren't going to bring them out… you couldn't."

"Yeah and they did miss you but they were set on those two weeks like I told you," Alexis replied with a smile. "But they kept an unofficial countdown to yesterday."

"I'm off Lex," Louis said, going by them then and running into the water.

"I guess we're going over to the other side," Castle commented as he soon could tell the young man was swimming over to Beckett and the girls. He went ahead of his daughter and walking up on that side he took her hand.

"What?" Beckett asked with a smile when she felt how hard her husband was holding her.

"Nothing," Castle said, unable to stop himself from squeezing her hand.

"Come on, let's see if we can find some leaves," Alexis was telling her sisters then as she'd seen the desperate grip her father had on her stepmother's hand.

"What for?" Eliza asked, her and her sister missing the way their father mouthed 'thank you' to their big sister.

"Since it's fall now," Louis began. "You lot can make art for the time being with them." He then looked at his girlfriend and said, "Right?"

"Right, come on," Alexis said, reaching out to take Julia's hand while Eliza took Louis'.

"Rick, wait," Beckett said in slight amusement as her husband was nearly dragging her into the trees that were near the bank.

"Sorry… I was watching you with the girls and decided…" Castle said before trailing off.

"Stop pausing," Beckett said with a smile. "And you're lucky Alexis could tell what you were thinking."

"I don't think it was that difficult," Castle admitted to her. "I can be transparent." When she merely smiled at him he said, "What, you think I am?"

Not saying a word Beckett merely reached up to him and wrapped her arms around him, kissing him deeply before he was holding onto her by the small of her back tightly.

"Do they know we can still see them?" Louis asked his girlfriend.

"I don't think they want to risk any bites going deeper than that," Alexis said with a smile as they were pausing in helping the girls get some of the fallen leaves on the ground. "Wait, not that one Jules."

"Poison ivy?" Julia asked. When her sister nodded she could help suddenly sing, " _Late at night while you're sleepin', poison ivy comes a-creepin' around_."

Parting at the sound of their daughter singing Castle and Beckett smiled briefly at each other before they made their way over to them together, still holding hands but turning their attention back to them so they could spend the rest of the day with them as they'd been wanting to during their trip to the West Coast.


	37. Autumn In New York (Part 2)

"I almost don't want to go in," Julia was telling her grandfather as they were looking at the waters of Lake Placid. "It's like glass."

"Did you take a picture?" Jim asked her.

"Yeah, really fast," Julia said, smiling up at him widely. "How come you don't want to go out?"

"I don't have the best of luck with canoes," Jim replied. "Kayaking I can do much better. Which we'll do tomorrow," he said quickly as he knew his granddaughter was going to say something to that.

"Okay," Julia said with a sigh. "Did you take a picture?"

"I did," Jim said as he showed her the screen of his camera.

"Ooh, that's pretty Grandpapa," Eliza breathed out as she came up to them with Beckett.

"Sure we can't have you go with Alexis and Louis?" Beckett asked her father.

"I'm sure, and let them go on their own," Jim replied with a smile.

"Okay then we need to go girls or we won't have any time on the water," Beckett said.

"I have their vests love," Castle called as he was walking down to them.

"And ours," Beckett said as the worker from the hotel that was going to unlock the canoes was walking to them. She took one of the adult life vests from the man and put it on before she took one of the girls' her husband was holding.

"I hate these," Julia said.

"If you don't wear it you can't go on," Castle said simply to her as he was helping her with her vest. "Good?" he asked, checking to make sure it wasn't too tight.

"Yeah thanks Daddy," Julia said, hugging him as tightly as she could. "I'm ready."

"You are," Castle replied, looking over at Alexis and Louis to see they were already set with their vests and oars.

"Here love," Beckett said, handing her husband one of the two oars she'd been carrying. They waited for Alexis and Louis to set off in their canoe and she waved to them with her husband and their daughters as they took off. "Dad-" she started to say, turning to him.

"Go, I'm going to walk around and see what I can see," Jim said, smiling at him. "I'll see you at dinner."

"You have your phone, right?" Castle asked.

"I do," Jim said, touched at the concerned tone to his son in law's voice.

"Maybe we should have gotten walkie-talkies," Castle said to his wife.

"He'll be okay," Beckett said.

"I'm not going exploring," Jim said with another smile as she sounded concerned as well. "I'll keep the road or the way I came in within sight."

"Then have fun Dad," Beckett said as she realized he knew what they were worried about. She then turned her attention to the canoe and as Castle held it she got into the front before she looked over her shoulder while her husband helped their daughters and the dogs in. "Are they okay?" she asked as she had no idea how Macca and Rita would take the boat, the two wearing vests as well.

"They seemed to be," Castle said, pushing off slightly before the worker pushed them fully into the water. He called a thanks to the man before they then started off through the water, he and Beckett rowing towards the edge of the lake on the left so they could let their daughters take pictures of the trees there.

"Are you gonna take pictures Mommy?" Eliza asked when the boat stopped.

"I will, remember not to move too much," Beckett told them.

"We won't," Julia said, a little absently as she was taking pictures herself at that moment.

"I think they're fine love," Castle called out to his wife as he checked on Rita who was in front of him lying down.

"I know, they wore themselves out at the river," Beckett said, smiling back at him.

"How far are we gonna go?" Julia asked her mother as the boat was moving again. She wasn't surprised when neither of her parents answered and she shared a smile with her sister as they waited to hear.

"Okay here we are," Beckett said when she saw the first island. "That's Buck Island and we're going to go past the peninsula here to go around it so we can see the other one."

"There's another?" Eliza asked in surprise as the two began to row again.

Castle answered her question but waited until he and Beckett were rowing to the west past the peninsula to say, "There is, you'll see it when we get there."

The family stopped a few times on the lake as they made their way around the island to take pictures, Castle making sure they didn't get off course while he waited for them to finish. They soon could see the second island and Eliza looked back at her father.

"That's Moose Island," Beckett said, glancing back to see her youngest looking to Castle.

"Moosie," Eliza giggled.

"Are there houses on here too?" Julia asked as she'd been able to see them from the boat.

"There are," Castle said. "But we need to leave them be."

"Yeah, we didn't get invited," Eliza told her sister.

Julia giggled heavily and then looked ahead as they made their way in between the two islands and then back to the lodge. She was disappointed when they were soon back and she said, "Now what?"

"We're taking the smaller canoe," Beckett said.

"We are?" Julia asked in surprise.

"Yep you're going to be canoeing when you're at camp," Castle said. "So you could learn a little now. Want to?"

"Yeah!" Julia said happily. "But… what about you Daddy?"

"Eliza and I are going to stay here and swim a little bit," Castle replied. "Wait for your grandpapa to come back."

After the worker came back to get their canoe and open the other one from its lock Beckett waited for her oldest to get in before she kissed Castle's cheek and got on herself.

"Have fun," Eliza said, waving as the worker pushed the boat into the water.

"If your arms get tired," Beckett was saying then to her daughter in front of her. "Just let me know."

"Okay," Julia said. She then realized something and looked back at her mother the best she could saying, "You didn't teach me or anything."

"I wanted to see if you could get it and you did," Beckett said with a smile.

"Oh, so I'm rowing okay?" Julia asked. When her mother nodded she was smiling widely then herself before turning back ahead of them.

"I will teach you one thing now," Beckett said when they got closer to the end of the peninsula. "To turn. We'll start with going to the left."

"Okay," Julia said. When her mother taught her how to move the oar so the canoe would begin going to their left she said, "It's the opposite to go right?"

"Exactly," Beckett replied. She smiled and then said, "Are you having fun?"

"Yeah but do I have to go to camp?" Julia asked with a sigh.

"You do but you'll have fun," Beckett said. She started to speak but then stopped before her daughter asked her what was wrong. "No, nothing's wrong," she assured her. "I just realized two things almost at the same time. First you'll get to do archery at the camp."

"Really?" Julia asked with a gasp.

"Really," Beckett said, smiling as her daughter was looking back at her. "And second you'll be using a real bow and arrow set. And that brought a third thing to mind; once you get back I think your daddy and I will get you a real bow and arrow set for yourself."

"I can?" Julia asked, trying not to whirl around on the canoe and tip it over.

"You should, you're taller and stronger," Beckett replied. "And you'll be responsible too I think."

"Oh, I will," Julia said, stopping rowing though she didn't realize it. "I promise I'll be really careful and never point at anyone."

"Good," Beckett replied. "Are your arms tired?"

"Huh?" Julia asked before she looked at her oar. "Oh… I guess so."

"Just rest then," Beckett said. "You helped me around the island so now I'm just going straight."

With a nod Julia asked, "Can I turn around?"

"You should keep facing forward sweetie," Beckett said with a smile at her. "I don't want you to get motion sickness."

"Okay," Julia replied before she looked around them. She then said to her mother, "Did you and Daddy get the chance to kiss a lot?"

"Julia," Beckett said warningly. When her daughter shot her an exasperated look she laughed softly and said, "We did, we couldn't seem to stop."

"Like you did earlier?" Julia asked teasingly. She looked around them again and said, "Was it that different from when you're at home."

"Not really," Beckett said. "I guess the only thing different is that we were alone a little more." She thought of something and said, "We never told you but we stayed at the hotel we were together in our first time going to LA."

"When you worked on that case?" Julia asked interestedly as she and her little sister knew the story. When her mother nodded she asked her, "How was it?"

"Nice," Beckett said. "We didn't stay much there or at Skye and Mary's home; we were a little busy in the end."

"Mommy?" Julia whispered when she saw they were near the peninsula.

"Yes?" Beckett asked, wondering what she was going to say with how quiet her voice was.

"Is Daddy really okay?" Julia said.

"He is," Beckett replied reassuringly. "It wasn't a serious burn and we've been taking care of it."

"Did you kiss it to make it all better?" Julia asked.

Beckett felt her cheeks heating up slightly as she told her oldest, "I can't really do that, I've just kissed around it to help him."

"I bet it does," Julia replied with a wide smile.

Smiling Beckett nodded before she called out, "Are you guys having fun in there?"

"I'm in the lake Mommy!" Eliza cried out as her father helped her swim to the canoe her mother was slowing down.

"Can she hop in?" Castle asked his wife when they were close enough.

"Go ahead," Beckett said.

Carefully Castle helped their youngest into the boat and watched her sit on her knees immediately. "I'll meet you at the shore," he told them.

"Bye Daddy," Julia called.

"Bye Daddy, thank you!" Eliza then said before they were continuing. "Grandpapa came back; the doggies are with him."

"Didn't they go in the lake?" Julia asked her sister.

Eliza didn't have a chance to answer that as they were reaching the dock Beckett had led them to and she slowed down before Jim was helping her out first.

"Thanks Dad," Beckett told him once Julia was out as well. "Are you going to push that back to the shore?" she directed to her husband teasingly when he began to push on the back of the canoe.

"I can," Castle said before all of a sudden, his wife was taking off her shirt and shorts. "Or you can help me," he said when she resurfaced after jumping in.

"Come on," Beckett said. "Stay with your grandpapa girls," she called to them as her father took their hands and they walked down the dock to land.

"How was it?" Castle asked his wife since he had the chance as they were alone.

Beckett quickly told him what they'd talked about before she said, "I suppose they thought that's how your wounds healed," smiling at him as they pushed the canoe up to the worker on land waiting for them.

"Thank you," Castle said to the man. When they turned to look out for the rest of their family he said, "It helps."

Rolling her eyes, though she was touched at the same time by his sincerity, Beckett glanced over to the water and smiled saying, "There they are."

Wondering what she was talking about; since they could see the others easily; Castle turned his head to follow her gaze before he caught sight of his daughter and Louis rowing towards them. He waved to them and went down to the water, helping Louis who jumped out. "Did you go swimming?" he asked as he saw they were wet.

"Of course, the water was inviting and we couldn't resist," Alexis replied. "You know you already started."

"We were waiting while Kate and Julia went in the smaller canoe," Castle answered.

Going over to her sisters Alexis wasn't surprised when they hugged her; asking how it had been; and she told them, "A lot of fun. How was it for you guys?"

"Fun, I went with Mommy by myself between the islands," Julia said happily.

"Gram!" Eliza called out then as she saw Martha walking up to them.

"Mother I thought you'd wait until we have dinner; that's not for almost another hour," Castle told her with a smile.

"I wanted to watch them while they went in the lake," Martha answered as she hugged her two youngest granddaughters. "And the rest of you of course."

"Should we go back to that dock?" Jim suggested.

"I think we're okay here," Beckett replied. "Just be careful if you go to those water lilies."

They began to swim, Castle and Beckett staying with Eliza while Julia swam out further with Alexis. Louis joined them soon after and they swam the rest of the afternoon close to the lodge until they got out to dry off so they could eat dinner.

"The dogs look tired Mommy," Eliza said to her mother as Beckett was drying her off.

"They did a lot of swimming today," Beckett said with a smile as she looked at the two lying next to them.

"Yeah, good doggies," Eliza said, kneeling to hug them tightly in turn.

"Come here sweetie," Beckett told her. "We need to eat and so will they as soon as your daddy comes back with their food." She helped her into a sundress as it was still a little warm and once she was ready she dressed herself in a sundress she had in her bag. "Ready Julia?" she asked her oldest as she walked up to the two of them.

"Yeah, are you hungry?" Julia asked after zipping up her mother's dress for her.

"Very, that watermelon was a long time ago," Beckett replied, taking Eliza on her lap before she let Julia lean against her.

"Where is the rest of it?" Martha asked, sitting on the chair across the table from her daughter in law.

"Rick went to get more ice for the cooler; we'll have it after dinner," Beckett replied before she spotted him coming out of the lodge with her father and Louis.

"Dinner has been ordered," Castle told them before he sat down. "And we'll get it soon so time for these two to eat," he told them as he was setting down two dog bowls in front of Macca and Rita.

Watching them eating Julia said, "Can they have watermelon too?" since Louis had brought the cooler outside with them.

"They can," Beckett said as her husband looked at her to answer. "Why don't we go wading until we eat?"

"We're going to head to the dock; text us when it comes," Alexis said, taking her boyfriend's hand and leaving before anyone could say anything.

"Lex…" Louis started to say before his girlfriend just squeezed his hand gently. He stopped and once they were at the dock, sitting, he asked, "We're not about to swim, are we?"

"I wasn't planning it," Alexis replied, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I'm so glad you came with us."

"I wasn't about to stay behind at the house," Louis said with a smile. He turned his head and pressed his lips to the top of her head and said, "I suppose we'll have a chance for this come March."

"We will," Alexis replied. "You'll love it here in the spring; we'll be west of here."

"I don't mind where we are," Louis said. When she raised her head off his shoulder to look at him he smiled slightly and then said, "I enjoy being with you quite a lot."  
Studying him with a smile Alexis said softly, "Me too."

Staring into her eyes for some time something seemed to come to him and he said, "I love you Alexis."

Her breath catching in her throat suddenly Alexis then smiled widely and said, "I love you too Louis," before she wrapped her arms around him as tightly as she could. When she had recovered a little she couldn't help saying, "You had to gather your courage for that didn't you?"

"A bit," Louis said, attempting a nonchalant tone. When his girlfriend laughed softly at him he leaned down, kissing her gently at first before he then carefully deepened it. He felt her grip on him becoming tighter and he reciprocated with his own hands and they were soon tilting their heads back and forth. "Could we-" he started to say when they'd pulled away from each other.

"The walls are thin," Alexis interrupted him. "Sorry," she said when he looked startled. "Kate told me."

"Oh… damn," Louis swore as he recalled they were next to the girls and Jim.

"There could be a way," Alexis said, feeling her cheeks beginning to blush. "There's a really nice shower."

Opening his mouth Louis glanced around them and said in a whisper, "We've never done that before."

"We can try," Alexis said as he looked uncertain and yet eager at the same time. She leaned over and brushed her lips to his before she murmured, "I want to try."

Louis opened his mouth to say something before he heard the hawk call from her phone and said, "I suppose we'd best go back."

"I guess so," Alexis said, smiling at him as she loved the way he worded things sometimes. He helped her up and before they could walk back she wrapped her arms around him tightly and they kissed once more before they slowly parted. "Come on," she said after they'd been studying each other for a while, taking each other's hands and walking down the dock.

* * *

"Ooh I'm hungry," Eliza was saying, kicking her legs playfully as she was waiting for her plate to be put in front of her.

"Thank you," Castle told the two employees who'd brought everything out; tipping them before they left. "Oh good," he said jokingly when he spotted his daughter and Louis. "Eliza was just going to take your food."

"I hope not, I'm so hungry I could eat a bear," Louis joked as he helped Alexis to her chair, making the girls giggle.

"Tell us what we get to do tomorrow!" Eliza cried before they began to eat.

With some laughter, the family began to eat and Castle and Beckett suggested some things they could do. The one that everyone agreed to; except for Martha; was kayaking first thing in the morning.

"What will you do if you don't come kayaking with us Gram?" Julia asked her.

"I will wait here for you while I read a book," Martha replied. "Don't worry; I'll relax while you get your workout on the lake."

Smiling Julia watched as the table was being cleared; having asked her question once they'd finished eating; and she asked, "Now what?"

"Dessert," Castle replied, standing up. "This way," he told him before taking Beckett's hand. They led the way until their daughters got ahead of them and went straight to the bonfire that was on the very edge of the lake.

After nodding to the people that ran the lodge Beckett sat on one of the chairs surrounding the fire with Eliza on her lap before they began to roast marshmallows after finishing the watermelon. They were largely quiet, listening to the crickets and others along the shore talking while they ate their s'mores letting the peacefulness of the moment take them over as evening turned to night.

* * *

"So," Castle said once he and his wife were in their room. "Tired?"

"I am, I think the other night and traveling was too much," Beckett said with a smile at him. "Plus the swimming and canoeing. You?"

"I'm getting too old," Castle half joked.

"You're not that old Rick," Beckett said as she rolled her eyes. She turned away from him and had him help her unzip her sundress and took it off before saying, "We did a lot today. And the girls are very happy."

"Always important," Castle replied. "And you?"

"Very," Beckett said. "Also, good thing they're tired too."

"I know," Castle replied. "So how will we do this?"

"We have a bath and a shower," Beckett told him. "I'd like a bath."

"I'll be in the shower," Castle replied before they went into the bathroom. They undressed together but he ducked into the shower while she was getting her bath ready. He couldn't deny that he was a little lonely as he was washing up but knew his wife was appreciating the break they were having. "Hey," he said as he stepped out, drying off quickly. "Relaxed?" he asked while he wrapped his towel around his waist.

"Extremely," Beckett said with a sigh. "But I still miss you."

"Vixen," Castle replied, a smile on his face at the same time. "Tomorrow… if we have the energy."

"Exactly," Beckett said. "Help me?" she asked him before she stood up.

Castle didn't say anything, merely helped her out before he was drying her off and found himself tempted greatly by her body. But he held back and instead let her wrap the towel around herself before he went out to the room to get dressed.

When she was dressed in her pajamas she'd brought in with her Beckett went out to the bedroom and said, "Are we going to bed now?" She smiled when he yawned widely and said, "I guess so."

"Yeah, I really got a work out today," Castle replied. "And you since you went out on the water twice." He followed her back into the bathroom and asked, "What would you think about going all around the lake?"

"Along the side," Beckett answered. "While I would love to go over the entire thing it's a bit much. Also, it might be a bit for Eliza to stay still."

Nodding Castle looked down at his arm that she was treating and he sighed saying, "As much as I like you doing this I'll be glad when this is gone."

"Me too," Beckett said simply, finishing up. When he didn't lower his arm, she glanced up at him and then gave him a questioning look.

"You're not going to kiss it and make it better?" Castle said seriously. He laughed when she pushed his shoulder and said, "Maybe tomorrow night."

"Pervert," Beckett replied, not surprised when he took that easily. They proceeded to prepare for bed and as usually happened; when she washed her hair before that point; he was leaving the room first. When she was finished she followed him out to the bed and said, "I should tell you something."

"Oh?" Castle asked, hearing the very brief hesitancy in her voice.

"Remember when Alexis and Louis left us to go over to the dock before dinner?" Beckett asked as she was sitting on the edge of the bed next to him. At his nod she continued telling him, "They said their first 'I love yous'."

"They did?" Castle asked. "What?" he asked in surprise when she appeared to be startled.

"You don't seem all that surprised," Beckett told him.

"I knew this was going to happen," Castle replied with a shrug. "They're not arguing and seem to be very happy; there's nothing else that could come of it."

"And how do you feel about that?" Beckett asked. "I know she said that to Ashley before," she then hurriedly said. "But this seems different."

"He's different," Castle replied. "While Ashley was nice I get the feeling college turned his head and he forgot he was willing to try for the long-distance relationship. He let her down and never contacted her again to try and fix it."

"I was there," Beckett reminded him. "When she broke up with him and I overheard what she said. He must have thought she was adamant."

Castle breathed out and said, "The thing is he did try to fight for her before."

"I think once was all he had the desire to do," Beckett told him with a slight shrug.

"And I get the idea that if she tried this with Louis he'd fight… we Irishmen are fighters for the women we love," Castle said before his wife playfully socked him on the shoulder. He allowed himself a moment to smile before he told her seriously, "I really think though he would; I didn't hear it but there's something telling me that he was serious when he said that to Alexis."

"That's what she conveyed to me," Beckett replied with a nod.

For a moment Castle was silent before he said, "Is she still scared of what I might think of him?"

"It's a big step Rick," Beckett replied, not surprised when he pulled her hand then so she was sitting on his lap. "She felt the need to speak to a woman." She then looked a little uncertain and said, "Why me instead of her grandmother I don't know."

"You two are nearer in age," Castle pointed out.

When her husband visibly blanched a second later Beckett said, "You had her young."

"I hate thinking of that though," Castle said.

"Then don't," Beckett replied, squeezing his shoulder as she had her arm around him. "But don't mention this to her."

"No?" Castle asked in confusion. "She wanted you to keep that a secret?"

"She never said; I think she expects me to tell you," Beckett replied with a smile. "I think she wants to tell you but she doesn't want a big reaction," she said.

"Well she won't get it since I already expected it and I don't mind," Castle said with a shrug. He then became thoughtful and said, "I guess I should remind him that the dogs and the girls like him."

"So that means you do too?" Beckett asked in amusement.

"Of course," Castle replied before she rolled her eyes. "Thanks for telling me," he said to her seriously.

"You're welcome," Beckett replied. "And like I told you, I think she wanted me to tell you."

"You're not tired?" Castle asked, watching her get up off him.

"I am, I just remembered I told myself to take a picture out of the window," Beckett answered as she picked up her camera. She took a shot from there and then checked the photos to make sure it turned out alright before she looked at the one previous to it. "Rick," she said simply.

"If you delete that I will…" Castle began to say before he trailed off as he walked over to her.

"Can't finish that?" Beckett asked in amusement as she sat next to him again with her camera in hand.

"I don't want to," Castle said simply. He then said, "I'm putting that one on my side of the desk once I can get it printed out."

"I shouldn't have taught you to mute the shutter," Beckett replied before she turned off the camera, not touching the picture of her with Julia and Eliza down by the shore of the lake earlier before dinner. She had managed to catch a frog in her hands while they'd been waiting and was holding it out as the girls were looking at it in delight. "Any reason why you took the picture?" she asked as she turned her attention to him.

"First, I would have figured out how to mute it," Castle said. "And second, huh?"

"Articulate," Beckett teased him, smiling. She shook her head and said, "I know you Rick, it takes something to encourage you to take a picture. Don't tell me that it was just the moment between a mother and her daughters." When he took a deep breath in she squeezed his arm and said, "Linda?"

"Yeah, there's a shot of her with James next to a… pond or something like that," Castle replied. "It was in _Wingspan_."

Beckett took a moment to think that over before she then nodded and said, "I remember. But that was just their son."

"And that should tell you that I could care less about our kids' gender," Castle replied. "But I can see why Paul would take those pictures though he met Linda when she was already a mother."

Though she knew she could comment on the fact that it was him that was the parent Beckett realized very quickly that he was talking about Julia. "I get the feeling you're going to mention something about goddess worship?" she asked.

"That's a part of it," Castle said. When he looked at her he wasn't surprised to see she looked a bit confused and he explained, "People aren't one dimensional; neither are you."

"Layers?" Beckett asked to tease him.

"Sure," Castle replied before he then reached for her camera. "And in a way, you're…" he started to say before hesitating a bit. "My own personal Linda; not her; but for me perfect and a great balance to my work and of course my love," he explained almost in a rush.

"Thank you," Beckett said, leaning over to share a kiss with him for that. She then watched him going through her pictures starting with the first she'd taken at JFK before they left for San Francisco.

"Do you feel kind of… startled by the switch from vacation to being back with them?" Castle said.

"Of course," Beckett replied. "Plus, we stayed in the city before traveling again," she added as her husband was yawning widely. "Maybe we should go to bed?"

"You don't seem to be tired," Castle replied. "I know," he said quickly. "I'll get you some tea."

About to tell him he didn't need to bother Beckett saw the way he smiled at her over his shoulder and she stopped, smiling herself for a moment before she glanced back down at her camera. Seeing he had been looking at the picture of her with their daughters again she zoomed in on the girls, recalling their shock when she had turned to them from the water.

 _"What is it Mommy?" Eliza asked, noticing their mother was bent over still._

 _"Come here," Beckett said with a smile to them. "Hurry because I don't know how much longer I can hold onto it."_

 _Rushing over with her sister Julia squealed first when she spotted the tiny green frog in her mother's hands. "How did you catch it?" she whispered._

 _"You don't have to whisper you two," Beckett said with a smile at them. She glanced at her husband as he walked up to them and said, "Want to hold it?" thinking he'd freak out at the sight of the amphibian._

 _"Sure," Castle replied. When his wife just stared at him then he smiled and said, "I'm not a wimp. Let me take it."_

 _Beckett did so and watched him holding the frog while the girls gathered around him next. "I think," she said as she knew it was nearly time for their dinner to be brought out. "We should let him go." When her husband looked at her for giving it a gender she shrugged before their daughters were speaking._

 _"Can we give him a name?" Eliza asked as her sister was taking a picture of it._

 _"Go ahead but hurry I bet he wants to get back into the water," Castle told them._

 _"Froggo," Julia and Eliza told them._

 _"I should have known," Castle said wryly to his wife since that was the name of the frog in Paul's cartoon. "But it's a great name," he told the two._

 _"Say goodbye to Froggo," Beckett told them._

 _"Bye Froggo, be careful!" Eliza cried, waving to the frog._

 _"Bye Froggo, keep swimming and I hope you find good flies," Julia told it._

 _Castle went back to the water and with the girls watching him let the frog go before he stood up before he took Eliza's hand and then stepped into the water with her as Beckett and Julia followed._

 _Watching her husband with a smile Beckett's attention was then taken by their oldest and she turned to her, indulging Julia's desire to find a fish they could name as well._

"What's on your mind love?" Castle asked her as he handed her the mug of chamomile tea he'd made for her.

"Earlier with Froggo," Beckett said with a smile.

"I thought she'd choose something more… mysterious but I should have known it would be connected to Paul," Castle said. When she didn't say anything he asked, "Then what were you thinking about?"

Beckett leaned over and very gently kissed him on the lips telling him, "I'm impressed you weren't freaked out by it."

"Brad and I would go exploring the summers we were at camp," Castle said. "Believe it or not I once picked up a garter snake… after he told me it was a garter snake."

Smiling Beckett said, "I believe you, since I can ask Brad easily." She leaned over and kissed him again and when they slowly pulled apart she said, "Put that down."

"Okay," Castle said, knowing what she wanted immediately. When he turned to her he then grabbed at her as she was coming to him and wrapping his arms around her he was ready to kiss her which she just barely beat him to. He didn't mind, kissing her back hungrily as he slid his right hand up to cup the back of her neck.

When her husband laid her on the bed Beckett gave no protest as she had been expecting him to do that. She took a quick gasp when he pulled away from her to do the same himself and she caressed his face before she moved away from him to lie on the bed more comfortably. He followed her quickly and she said to him, "I love you Rick."

"I love you too Kate," Castle told her seriously. He then closed the gap between them and kissed her once more, deeply again as he couldn't stop himself from doing so. He rested his right hand; that wasn't holding up his weight; against her side but didn't move it, the moment not feeling like it needed them to be any more intimate than they were. When they parted their tongues dragged out and he couldn't help shuddering in pleasure at the feel of that before he said, " _You're an amazing woman you know_."

" _So are you_ ," Beckett told him, nuzzling his nose with her own. She then kissed him gently before saying, "The tea."

Getting up; though he didn't want to; Castle got the mug and handed it to his wife when she shook her head. He took a sip and gave it back to her, reaching out and gently caressing her hair before she smiled at him. "I can't help myself," he confessed to her.

Beckett shared a tender kiss with him before she said, "You have an obsession."

"I'll freely admit that I do," Castle replied with a smile, still stroking her locks. "Kayak with me?" he asked her. "After we do that with the girls."

"Okay," Beckett replied. When he looked surprised she smiled and said, "I don't mind doing that and at least with the kayaks we can see each other better."

"True," Castle said with a smile. "My view wasn't bad though."

"Pervert," Beckett said wryly. She handed him the mug and watched him take the last sip before he was putting it down on the nightstand again. "It got cold," she said as she hurried to tuck her legs under the covers.

"I know, my feet are freezing," Castle replied, hurrying over to her. They laid down together and he held her closely to him murmuring, "Goodnight my love."

"Night love," Beckett said with a smile before they gently shared a kiss. She was going to say something to him then before she heard his breathing beginning to even out. Tilting her head up to look at him she saw that he was asleep and she had to smile, knowing his yawns had in no way been an affectation.

Cuddling closer to him Beckett felt much warmer, reminding herself in her mind that she would need to reassure him that it was alright he'd fallen asleep first. He never liked falling asleep before her as he'd always thought it was disrespectful to do that though sometimes he couldn't help himself. With a smile still on her face Beckett brushed her lips against his jaw as gently as she possibly could. Sure that he was still asleep she placed her cheek to his shoulder and closed her eyes, sighing deeply as she felt the warmth from him nearly surrounding her. She was soon asleep, still pressing close to Castle and keeping warm as the night continued outside the lodge.


	38. Rowers Gliding On The River

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: It was great to get the feedback I did for the last chapter so will get to my thank yous for that right now! MsNYC (Nice to see that you thought it was a good day on the lake, I wanted to convey that it was. And I wasn't surprised at the way you reacted to the girls being back, but great you liked that they were. So pleased too that you thought Alexis and Louis in this chapter were cute, I'd been wondering what readers would think of them here so great to see your reaction to that was what it was! And of course, happy to see you thought it was great writing as usual!),  
TORONTOSUN (Great you still like how the girls love seeing Castle and Beckett, as you said no matter what the situation is. I figured they would since they love their parents of course! And it's nice that you like the camping they're doing, I figured Julia would have fun since her parents are making sure she is. So nice to see too that you like the closeness that Julia and Beckett have in this chapter, figured it was a good time for mother-daughter time. And yeah, thought that Eliza would have fun too since Castle and Beckett making sure she does as well. And great you can see Alexis and Louis stepping forward as I could too!) and  
vetgirlmx (It was nice to see you thought the chapter was a really good one first off. And I'm happy you thought it was a lot of fun. Though I did laugh at you mentioning you think they're really close to developing gills, lol, I actually thought you meant girls for some reason when I first read it which didn't make sense but then got it; that's what happens when you read before going to bed, lol. But yeah, can't help getting them to go swimming in some way. Though you're right, Martha's not quite at the same level they are. And I'm glad you thought it was sweet the way the girls reacted to seeing their parents getting back, not surprised you expected that. Also great you thought it was sweet too the way they kept reminding them how much they missed them, I figured it'd be something they do, lol. And yeah, I'm not surprised people are amazed by the closeness between Alexis and Beckett; though I have to admit that closeness is my reaction to what happened to their stepmother-stepdaughter relationship at the very end of the show, I wasn't a fan of how that seemed to basically disappear- to me- as I never saw that happening after you saw how much Alexis did admire Beckett earlier in the seasons. But you're right, impossible for them not to be that way since I do have Beckett watching out for Alexis in a mothering type way now though now as outright as she'll do with Julia and Eliza. And yeah, there shouldn't be any doubt since Alexis told Beckett first about the first I love you she and Louis exchanged. Should definitely dissipate it! You actually caught what I'd planned with this trip; besides the fact I love the image being in that part of the country in the fall evokes. I thought I didn't want them to go right back home, think about their trip and bring up Skye and Mary a lot, I wanted it to go back fully to their family. So luckily that worked out! And I think those two dogs really enjoyed their day considering their breeds, one was used for hunting so outdoors and the other is high energy so being outside all day would be fun, lol. But I'm glad you had fun reading about their day too! Happy to read you can't wait to see what happens next and now you don't need to anymore!).  
Thanks so much for the reviews, I loved reading them and appreciate the time taken to write them out and send them my way!

A/N #2: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song _Pisces Fish_ by George Harrison, from his album _Brainwashed_.

Rowers Gliding On The River

"See?" Castle called to his wife. "I told you we could do this here too."

"That's because you finally asked about any rapids from here to the part we swam at yesterday Dad," Alexis said wryly. She cried out when her father splashed her with his oars and she was quickly doing the same to him.

"Guys," Beckett called, ahead of them on the Chubb River but able to hear them easily. "Calm down or else you're going to get Eliza wet."

"It's kay Mommy," the little girl said, sitting in the front of the two seat kayak her father was rowing. "Where are we going?"

"They said," Julia called back, sitting in front of her mother and helping her row. "Where we went swimming yesterday."

"Can we have watermelon?" Eliza asked hopefully.

"You'll see," Castle told her. He glanced around them before he said to Beckett, "We're nearly there love."

"How can you tell?" Louis asked as he was with Alexis in her kayak.

"He did this before," Beckett called. "And his memory is fairly good."

"It is," Castle said, about to say something else when he noticed the river had calmed down. "This is it. One at a time though."

"Hello, hello," Martha said, walking up to the bank of the river in time for Beckett to steer her kayak up against the shallow part. "Would you like some help Julia?"

"Thanks," the girl said. "But your feet Gram."

"I took off my shoes," Martha assured her. Once her middle granddaughter was standing they held the boat together so Beckett could get out next. "How was the ride?"

"Very nice," Beckett said. "A little short but that's alright; we have our time on the lake to look forward to."

"Anyone want to get Eliza?" Castle called ahead to them.

"Let me get the boat out of the way Rick," Beckett said wryly though she had a smile on her face. Once she'd pulled it onto shore enough she went back to Eliza and picked her up before holding the kayak with her free hand.

"Thank you very much," Castle said as he was then able to drag the boat next to her. He helped out Alexis and Louis though he only needed to help the young man. "So what should we do now?" he asked the girls teasingly as he knew they were about to ask him that.

"We should go swimming!" Eliza said exuberantly as she raised her arms over her head.

"After we get ready," Beckett told them with a smile. "Come on girls; help your grandpapa with the blankets."

"Calm down you two," Castle said to Macca and Rita as they had come with his mother and father in law. He scratched them behind the ears before he grabbed a branch and tossed it so they'd be busy with that.

"Rick," Beckett called to him, tossing him a bottle of sunscreen.

"You don't need help?" Castle asked as he walked over to her, watching their youngest rubbing her back with the sunscreen.

"I think she's alright," Beckett said in amusement.

"You better put that on Daddy," Julia told him. "We're almost gonna go in. Just you need to get ready."

"I'll be ready really fast," Castle said.

"You should have kept the toys a surprise," Jim said jokingly as he walked to them from his chair.

"Impossible," Castle said, handing the bottle of sunscreen back to Julia once he'd finished with it. "Since they were with us when they got it. And we were going to try to get them before we met you for breakfast but…"

"We were tired from traveling," Beckett finished for him, glancing at him.

Castle smiled at her before they got their daughters and they started to step into the still warm water together. He couldn't help recalling that morning when he'd woken up, realizing that he'd fallen asleep before his wife and his guilt the second that had come to him.

* * *

 _"Hey, good morning," Beckett said, looking back at her husband as he sat up in the bed._

 _"I fell asleep first didn't I?" Castle asked. When his wife didn't say anything he groaned and said, "Sorry Kate I-"_

 _"You don't need to," Beckett cut him off. "You were very tired; I could tell; and you couldn't stop yourself either. Actually, I'm glad you didn't."_

 _Castle was going to speak when his wife raised her eyebrow slightly and he sighed before he told her, "I guess it's better I didn't," agreeing with her. "How is it?" he asked as he stood up and walked over to where she was at the window._

 _"Good, temperature wise… I think it's the same," Beckett replied, watching him studying the sky. "We should go," she then said to get his attention._

 _Looking at her Castle leaned down and kissed her gently, lingering for as long as he dared before he carefully pulled away. "Good morning," he said as he stared into her eyes._

 _"Morning," Beckett said, kissing him again. When they parted she took his hand and said, "Let's go, I don't want them waiting," pulling him over to the bathroom and smiling when she got no protest at all from him in response._

* * *

"Oh! Mommy the dogs are all dirty," Eliza said to Beckett as they were walking to the bank.

"I see," Beckett said before she turned back to her husband. "Rick?" she asked him.

"Well I need them to come here first," Castle said as he was in the middle of the river with Julia and Alexis.

"Go on you two," Beckett said to Macca and Rita, snapping her fingers and pointing to the water.

Watching them go Eliza giggled and said, "They know they were bad."

"I don't think they were," Castle said as he beckoned Rita to him while Julia was holding onto Macca. "They didn't want to stop playing with that stick."

"That was you Dad," Alexis said wryly.

"I guess so," Castle replied. "I'm assuming we need to get out?" he then said as he saw his wife was standing on the bank while Eliza was with her grandparents.

"If you're hungry," Beckett said with a smile.

"I am," Julia said. "Come on Macca!" she said with a smile before the dog swam with her to her mother.

Once Castle, Alexis and Rita were out of the water with them the family gathered around the blankets and ate lunch talking quietly before Louis asked, "I hate to ask-"

"It's nearly seven hours," Castle replied.

"Back home?" Martha asked in surprise.

"It is," Beckett said. "We'd like to leave at seven if it's possible."

"Does that mean we need to go to bed early?" Julia asked in disappointment.

"It does, you two have school on Monday so we want you to have time to rest tomorrow at home," Castle said.

"And I bet Dad and your mom want to get home finally," Alexis told her sisters.

"We do," Beckett replied. "But at least we got to spend a lot of time here," she said to the girls who still looked disappointed.

"And Mommy and Daddy will be home with us now," Eliza said slowly, looking at Julia.

"Yeah so at least there's that," the girl replied.

"When are we gonna go to the lake?" Eliza asked after they'd been eating for a while.

"Soon," Castle said. When his wife hit his arm with the back of her hand he said, "Alright, after we eat if that's okay with you."

When the others agreed Beckett said, "We'll be spending the rest of the day there."

"And eating at the lodge again," Castle replied.

"Do you mind if Lex and I have dinner elsewhere?" Louis asked slightly hesitantly.

"No," Castle said, knowing everyone was looking at him to answer. "There are places around Mirror Lake east of us, they're really nice."

"Thanks," Louis said, seeing his girlfriend smiling at her father.

"Will you come back with us tomorrow?" Eliza asked her big sister.

"Of course, I'll stay until we need to go back to Oxford," Alexis assured her.

When they finished the meal; ending with berries from the hotel; they packed up, even the girls helping by holding onto the dogs to keep them out of everyone's way.

"Have all the toys?" Castle asked the girls. When they nodded he said, "We'll see you back at the lake."

"I wish we could go," Julia said as they watched Castle, Beckett and Louis head back up the river.

"Better to keep the boats lighter," Jim told them, squeezing their shoulders. "Come on, we need to meet them there so you can head out on the lake once they're back."

Reaching the lodge shortly after Julia and Eliza were in the lake, up to their ankles as they tried to catch a frog like their mother had the day before.

"Hey guys," Alexis told them as she walked up to them. "Find anything yet?"

"Did Mommy and Daddy tell you about Froggo?" Julia asked with a smile.

"They did," Alexis said. "Dad did that for me too a couple times; he's picked up some frogs and snakes."

"Snakes?" Eliza asked in shock.

"Yeah, he's not afraid of them," Alexis said before she heard someone calling out to them. "Oh, there's Dad, your mom and Louis with the boats. Let's get your vests on!"

"And yours," Julia said quickly before they hurried to get the life vests back on.

"Are you guys ready?" Castle asked after he'd set his and Eliza's kayak down partially in the water and partly on land.

"Yeah, we put our vests on," Eliza said first, hurrying to him.

"Go ahead," Beckett said when her husband had looked to her. She watched with a smile as he picked up their youngest before setting her on the seat in front of his.

"My turn?" Julia asked, holding her mother's hand.

"Yes," Beckett said, shaking herself as she'd seen that Alexis was already in the kayak with Louis and her father had already pushed away from shore in his own. She helped Julia into the kayak before she sat behind her. They were pushed off the shore by the worker who'd been there to assist them and she rowed them up to Castle who was waiting for them. "And everyone else?" she asked him as Eliza waved to her and Julia.

"They're going off on their own; just us," Castle said. "I tried to tell your dad to stick with us but he wanted to explore on his own."

"He's doing what he did in Spain," Beckett said suddenly. She looked at the girls; who were luckily not paying attention to them; and said in Irish as they began to row, " _Something's making him think of_ Mom."

" _Did they ever come here together_?" Castle asked.

" _It doesn't need to be a place_ ," Beckett replied gently. " _He just remembers her_."

" _I hope he'll be alright_ ," Castle said with a nod.

" _He will_ ," Beckett said before they turned their attention to the girls who'd been talking in front of their kayaks together. "Want to go all around the lake you two?" she called to them.

"I thought you said we couldn't," Castle said, looking at her in surprise.

"I changed my mind," Beckett answered. She couldn't help smiling as he pretended to grumble under his breath and she then said in Irish, " _We wouldn't be able to go on our own though_."

" _I don't mind; we were alone for a long time before this_ ," Castle said. When she nodded he said to the girls, "Looks like we're going to see everything around the lake."

"Yeah, I want to go," Eliza said eagerly. She watched her sister rowing next to her and said, "Daddy I want to row too."

"Your arms are a little small still sweetheart," Castle replied. "When you're older we'll definitely go on kayaks again and you can row then."

"You should look at all the trees Lizzy," Julia called to her. When her little sister pouted at that she glanced over at Castle who shrugged.

"Sweetie," Beckett then said to Eliza. "You need to be a little stronger to row okay? We'll stop and swim along the side somewhere and after you'll have a turn to row but then you'll see why."

Though she wanted to protest that she could row Eliza stopped herself and instead nodded before she turned back and looked ahead of them again.

"Where do you want to stop?" Castle called to his wife once they had reached the midway point in the lake, near where the two islands formed a channel.

"At the other end," Beckett replied. "It'll be a good stopping point. Are you doing alright Julia?"

"Yeah, I'm good Mommy," the girl replied with a smile as she was still rowing.

"Why don't you rest for a little bit?" Castle said.

Startled Julia was going to say no when she realized that her father was glancing towards Eliza. She then nodded and said, "I guess I should."

"Now you can look with me!" Eliza cried happily.

Julia smiled and nodded, glad her father had suggested it as her little sister seemed to be pleased. When they reached the end of the lake she breathed out before she noticed that someone was on a private dock waving them down. "Mommy?" she asked, looking behind her.

"Go ahead, I think word got out we're here," Beckett told her husband.

"Hello," the man of the couple that was at the end of the dock said once the two kayaks were near them. "Sorry to interrupt your ride, we heard that Richard Castle and Kate Beckett were around Lake Placid."

"We never imagined they'd be on the lake," the woman said with a smile.

"Well you're right, we're here," Castle commented. "Can I ask who you are?"

"Bobby Conant and this is my wife Vita," the man said.

"The writer?" Castle and Beckett said at the same time.

"You've heard of me," Conant said with a smile. "And you didn't know I live here, great it means that they're keeping that off the backs of my books."

"Would you like to dock? We have a beach there you can use if you'd like," Vita told them.

"That would be nice," Beckett said after sharing a look with her husband.

"Would you like an autograph?" Castle said to the couple.

"If that's alright," Vita said.

"We'll meet you on the beach," Castle replied.

"They aren't bad?" Eliza whispered as her parents were taking them to the beach they'd seen on the side of the dock with some sand there.

"No, I know him from my friends I play cards with," Castle said so Julia could hear too. "They say he's a nice guy but a recluse. _I figured the autograph_ -" he then started to say in Irish.

"It's alright, if they're going to let us use their… beach then we owe them I guess," Beckett replied. They had reached the side by then and with Conant's help they got the girls out and the boats onto land. "Thank you for this," she said to Vita who was standing with a young boy next to her. "We won't be here for long."

"That's fine, I just finished your book yesterday and I was amazed to see on Facebook you were here," Vita replied. "Weren't you just out in California?"

"We were," Beckett said before her husband and Conant came over to them. "This is your son?"

"Our grandson Scott; we're a little old for a son; he's with us for the weekend from Albany," Conant answered. "He's our daughter's son. And he's eleven."

"These are our daughters," Beckett said. "Eliza and Julia who're four and ten."

"They're sweet," Vita said.

"Could we go swimming?" Julia asked.

"Go ahead," Beckett said. "But just wade for now," she told the two a little sternly. She turned back to the couple and said, "We should sign your book now before we get too wet and have to back out."

Nodding Vita told her grandson to get it and said, "Did you take the case from something that happened in real life in this one?"

"Slightly," Beckett said with a smile. "That's how we usually do it."

"It's easier," Castle added before the young boy returned to them. He signed it first and then handed it over to his wife before saying, "You have a great house by the way. Your location is… amazing."

With a smile Conant said, "We're about to leave but you can stay as long as you'd like. Just don't forget your boats."

"But Grandpa," the boy said. "I wanted to go swimming too."

"Later tonight," Vita said to her grandson. She smiled and shook Castle and Beckett's hands telling them, "Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy your time here."

"Thank you," Beckett said first.

"She's right, thank you and enjoy your trip," Castle told them. "Wherever you're going."

Conant shook their hands before he left with his wife and grandson after saying goodbye to the four.

"Are you kay?" Eliza asked her big sister as she'd suddenly breathed out heavily.

"Don't tell Mommy and Daddy but he was creepy," Julia said, shuddering.

"I saw he was looking at you," Eliza said, taking her hand tightly.

"Girls?" Beckett asked when she stepped up to the two. "You didn't take off your dresses to swim." She was startled when they looked at each other and feeling Castle stepping up next to her she said, "What's wrong?"

"It was the boy, wasn't it?" Castle commented.

"Yeah," Julia said, hesitating for a moment as she wasn't sure she should tell them but knew she would have to since he'd figured it out. "He was staring at me the whole time."

"I saw that," Castle said, looking at his wife.

"Me too," Beckett said. "And you should know if they had stayed we wouldn't have been here for too long."

"Really?" Julia asked.

"Really, we can swim at the lodge," Castle told them. "Do you want to swim?" He was startled when the girls shared a look again and said, "I guess that's a no?"

"Could we just swim back at the lodge, it was fun there," Julia said first.

"Yeah, it was so much fun," Eliza said.

"Okay then let's go back in," Castle said before he grabbed Eliza's vest to help her into it.

Once the family was back in their kayaks they were making their way back around down the lake. As Beckett had said earlier Eliza was allowed to row then and she squealed when she began, unable to get the right rhythm she needed to use.

"Watch your sister Eliza," Beckett called out to her.

Nodding her head, the little girl looked at Julia and then began to copy her, not realizing that her father was quickly adapting to it. "I'm rowing!" Eliza cried out to her family.

"You're doing a great job," Castle assured her. "But remember when you get tired you can just stop, I can row us the rest of the way."

"I can do it Daddy!" Eliza said. "Watch."

Beckett couldn't help laughing at the little girl's tone and soon Julia was joining her before Castle and Eliza were as well. They began to talk together the rest of the way back down to the lodge and once they were there Eliza had stopped at around the midway point of the lake. "Hey," she said, seeing her father on the dock. "How was your trip?"

"Good I stayed down here around the island, circled it a few times," Jim said after he'd helped the girls out. "Were you rowing Eliza?"

"Yep but I got tired," the little girl said shyly before she giggled with her sister. "Now I wanna swim!"

"We're going right now," Castle called before he and Beckett made their way around to the side of the lake by the tables.

After the worker had taken their kayaks up on land Castle and Beckett joined their daughters and Louis before Jim came up to them.

"Have you seen my mother around at all?" Castle asked his father in law.

"No," Jim said before Eliza was tugging on his hand. When he looked down at her she pointed behind them and he looked to see Martha. "She's here now."

"Did you take a nap Gram?" Alexis asked once she was with them.

"No, I was speaking with the bartender inside the lodge," Martha said, gesturing to the building she was staying in. "They're a fan it seems."

"Interesting coincidence," Castle told the others. "We were stopped by some fans too."

"Where?" Alexis asked.

"At the northern end of the lake," Beckett said first.

"You've heard of Bobby Conant," Castle told his mother.

"I have too… he lives here?" Jim asked in surprise as he looked to the north. "His information on the books doesn't say."

"It looks like he's a recluse," Castle said. "His wife and grandson were there too."

"You obviously didn't have a very long visit," Martha commented.

"No," Beckett said. "They were leaving and we didn't really want to use their beach so we came back."

Julia was relieved her mother didn't say anything about the boy and when they went into the water she was hugging her tightly. "Thank you," she whispered into her ear.

"You're welcome," Beckett replied. "I don't think anyone really needs to know." She wasn't surprised when her daughter nodded her head and asked, "Come swimming with me?"

"Yep," Julia said before she smiled and they went deeper into the water together. She made her way over to the dock, smiling when she realized her mother was following her before they climbed up onto it. "Why was he doing that?" she asked as they were kicking their legs back and forth in the water.

"He might have thought you were cute," Beckett said. She watched as Julia wrinkled her nose and said, "But you don't have to worry about him; we're not going to see him again."

"I hope you're right," Julia said with a sigh. She then said, "Do we have time to do anything else?"

"We can play and swim," Beckett told her.

"Okay, that's good for me," Julia replied.

"What about your sister?" Beckett said.

"She'll be happy about that," Julia said before they then looked over at her sister. She giggled and said, "Remember when she started to crawl around?"

"I do," Beckett said.

"What is it?" Julia asked, having been watching her and seeing her mother was looking at her closely.

"Nothing, why don't we go back with everyone else?" Beckett asked. "I want to spend time with your sisters too."

Julia nodded and let her mother slip into the water before she then followed and she kissed her cheek as they were holding onto the dock. "I love you so much Mommy," she told her with a wide smile.

"I love you too Julia," Beckett told her.

"Always?" Julia whispered shyly.

"Always," Beckett said before pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Race you back?"

"Yeah," Julia said happily before she took off.

With a laugh Beckett swam after her, remembering when she and Castle had returned from their honeymoon to their home in the Hamptons. For some reason, her mind had gone to that; likely because of how effusively her daughter had said that; and when they reached the others she watched as Julia hugged Castle tightly, telling him that she loved him. She herself went to Eliza and embraced her close before kissing her and recalling that moment, remembering she'd been pregnant with hers and Castle's child before they began to swim again.

* * *

 _"I almost expected her to be out here waiting for us," Castle commented as the limo drove down the driveway to their house._

 _"Our parents might be keeping her in," Beckett replied, squeezing his hand._

 _"I missed her too," Castle said with a smile at her before he brought her hand up to his lips, kissing it._

 _Beckett couldn't reply to that as they were at the home and the limo was coming to a stop. She was going to get out when her husband went first, helping her out which earned him a minor look from her._

 _"What?" Castle asked._

 _Shaking her head Beckett said, "Hurry."_

 _"Okay," Castle said, tipping the limo driver. When the car was leaving he said to his wife, "Should we leave them?"_

 _"Yes, come on," Beckett replied, pulling him after her. She had the keys; she'd 'borrowed' them from Castle as they'd waited in line for some tea for the drive home; and she opened the door before she paused after stepping into the foyer. She smiled widely and looked back at Castle as their daughter was in the kitchen with everyone else before she said, "Julia!"_

 _"Mommy!" the little girl nearly screamed, turning around to them. "Daddy!" she said before running down the hall to them and hugging her mother first. "I missed you Mommy!" she said almost tearfully._

 _"I missed you too sweetie," Beckett replied, her voice a bit choked up as their parents and Alexis walked up to them._

 _"Hi Daddy," Julia said slightly shyly. She hadn't forgotten he was her father but since he'd been gone she forgot what it was like with him as that. When he scooped her up and threw her up in the air slightly she squealed in joy before hugging him tightly. "I missed you too."_

 _"So did I," Castle said, smiling at her when they'd finished embracing. He pressed his lips to her forehead and said, "Did you take care of the house while we were gone?"_

 _Giggling softly Julia nodded saying, "I was really good."_

 _"She was," Alexis said, embracing her stepmother. "How are you?"_

 _"I'm fine," Beckett said, looking at her father and mother in law. "In case you two were going to ask me too. Happy to be home."_

 _"I imagine you would be darling," Martha told her, embracing her next. "And you?"_

 _"Good, tired from traveling but happy," Castle said, hugging her with one arm as he was still holding onto Julia. "Jim," he said, shaking his father in law's hand. "Thank you for coming out here."_

 _"I had to see you two safely back," Beckett's father told him._

 _"Come in the kitchen," Julia told them. "We have snacks!"_

 _"In case you two are hungry," Martha told them._

 _"We are but our suitcases are outside," Beckett commented._

 _"I'll get them love," Castle said, placing his hand on her arm._

 _"Has he been doing that during the honeymoon?" Alexis asked, smiling as she watched her stepmother sighing._

 _"More often lately," Beckett said._

 _"I think he'll be a mothering hen with you," Martha commented as they then led the woman over to the kitchen while Castle was bringing the suitcases in._

 _"It's hard not to be," he said defensively though he smiled at Julia when she looked at him seriously._

 _"Thank you for the sign," Beckett said as one that read 'Welcome back Mommy and Daddy' was taped to the post leading to the kitchen._

 _"I made it with 'lexis," Julia said with a smile, holding her mother's hand tightly._

 _"It's beautiful," Castle said before he looked at his wife._

 _"Go ahead," Beckett said with a smile. She watched him go back to his own suitcase and open it before they began to pass out the gifts they'd gotten for their family while they'd been in Ireland. She sat down at the kitchen table and pulled Julia to her, trying to get her to sit on her lap. "What's wrong?" she asked the little girl as she resisted._

 _"What about the baby?" Julia asked a little shyly._

 _"It's alright," Beckett assured her, pulling her up onto her lap fully. She kissed her temple and said, "What do you think about your books?"_

 _"They look so nice," Julia said happily. "I can't wait to read them." She then looked at her mother and asked, "Will you read to me?"_

 _"Of course," Beckett replied, kissing her again. "I'm so happy to be home."_

 _"Me too," Julia said, smiling widely at her. "Are you gonna stay."_

 _"Of course," Beckett said._

 _"We are," Castle said as he sat down with them. "We have a book to write."  
"For now," Beckett said, "We want to unpack and get everything put away so we can relax with you all."_

 _"Well go, we'll keep Julia so she'll be out-" Martha began._

 _"She'll be fine," Castle said quickly. "Want to come with us?" he then directed to Julia._

 _"Yes please," the little girl replied immediately. She smiled and held her parents' hands as they went to the suitcases and headed upstairs to their room._

* * *

 _"Here's your milk sweetie," Beckett said, coming into the family room with Julia after dinner._

 _"Are we gonna have dessert?" the little girl asked hopefully._

 _"I don't think so tonight," Beckett told her with a smile. She kissed her temple once she'd sat on the couch and she asked, "How do you like living here?"_

 _"I like it," Julia said. "Is it really home now?"_

 _"Mmm-hmm," Beckett said, hugging her as Julia was doing the same to her. "So that's your room now."_

 _"Where will my brother or sister go?" the little girl then asked._

 _"They'll be next door to you," Castle said, coming inside then to hear the question. He tried not to show his amusement in her obvious look of relief as he asked, "Did you think you'd have to share the room with them?"_

 _"I think she's thinking of the loft Dad," Alexis said, coming inside with Martha and Jim behind her._

 _"Oh, no here there are enough rooms so you'll have your own," Castle said, sitting next to his wife. "So, what did you guys do while we were gone after dinner?"_

 _"We played card games mostly," Alexis replied._

 _"You didn't show her?" Castle asked._

 _"No, you said to wait," Alexis said simply, looking at him._

 _"What is it?" Julia asked him a little shyly._

 _"Come with me and I'll show you," Castle said, holding out his hand. He was pleased when she quickly grabbed his hand at that and he led her over to the cabinets under the TV. "Your mom and I noticed you didn't have too many games," he told her as he opened the door. "We decided you could use one more."_

 _"What is it?" Julia asked interestedly as she liked the picture but wasn't sure what the name of it was._

 _"Hungry Hungry Hippos," Castle said. "Your sister had this game when she was your age."_

 _"I did," Alexis said with a smile for Julia when she turned to her. "It's a lot of fun."_

 _"Can we play?" Julia said to her mother._

 _"I bought it with your daddy," Beckett replied with a smile._

 _Julia watched eagerly as her father took the game out of the box and she studied the different colored hippos before she asked, "How do you play?" She listened attentively as her parents and sister explained it and then practiced pressing on the button on the blue hippo. "So I have to do that really fast?" she said._

 _"You should show her Dad," Alexis told him. "He was always the fastest at it," she said to the others._

 _"You'll see when I play; you two should start," Castle said._

 _"No Daddy," Julia was quick to protest. "Play with us. And you Mommy."_

 _Smiling at her husband Beckett said, "We will, pick your color love."_

 _"I'll take the yellow one," Castle said since it was the only one he could reach. "Ready?" he asked the others. When they nodded he said, "Go!" before they began to press the levers as fast as they possibly could._

 _"Well done kiddo," Martha said to Julia. "How many did you get?"_

 _Counting the marbles in the container next to her hippo Julia said, "I got five."_

 _"I got the same," Castle said._

 _"Four," Alexis said._

 _"I got six," Beckett said before she laughed as Julia hurried to her to hug her tightly. She smiled as the little girl then went to Castle, embracing him around the neck before she went back to her side to start playing again. She squeezed his hand and they let their daughters play that time until they were finished._

 _Watching as Julia went to her mother Castle said, "Are you finished?"_

 _Nodding the little girl then said, "I'm glad you're home Mommy."_

 _Alexis went to her father and murmured something into his ear before she put away the game._

 _When her husband spoke into her ear Beckett was a little startled before she looked at her stepdaughter and saw her nod. "Sweetie," she then said to Julia. "Are you nervous about school?"_

 _"Yeah," Julia said with a sigh before she cuddled close to her mother. "I'm gonna be in a grade now and that means the big kids."_

 _"It's not going to be that different," Beckett told her. "And remember Mari will be there."_

 _"You know now we'll be able to pick you up after your dance class, right?" Castle said as he saw that the little girl was still nervous. When she looked at him he smiled and said, "Really, we'll be working here so we can walk you home."_

 _"He's right, we'll come and get you whenever we can," Beckett replied. "Which will probably be every day."_

 _"Oh… kay," Julia said, brightening up visibly. She smiled and then said, "That's good."_

 _"I'm glad you think so," Beckett said with a smile, pressing a kiss to her temple. When she felt her husband kiss the side of her head she smiled at him before their parents suddenly; as it felt to her; started to say goodnight to them. She let go of Julia so she could say it to them and then embraced her mother in law before doing the same to her father._

 _"You look happy," Jim murmured to his daughter when they'd let go of one another._

 _"I am," Beckett reassured him. "We'll see you tomorrow."_

 _When they had left Alexis said, "I probably should-"_

 _"You don't need to," Beckett said quickly. She smiled as Alexis looked at her in surprise and said, "It's still early."_

 _"What do we do now?" Julia asked as Alexis followed them over to the couch._

 _"Why don't we watch a movie?" Castle suggested. "You two pick." He smiled when Julia went to her sister in excitement and sat with his wife, putting his arm around her._

 _After she and Alexis had agreed on a movie Julia turned to their parents to ask them about it when she paused seeing they were smiling at each other._

 _"What did you find?" Beckett asked, noticing then that the little girl was watching them._

 _"This one," Julia said shyly, showing them both the case._

 _"Alright," Castle answered, not surprised it was Paul McCartney's cartoon collection. "Will you-" he started to ask his daughter._

 _"I can," Alexis interrupted before she took the DVD case from her sister._

 _"Come and sit with us sweetie," Beckett said as Julia was looking at them._

 _Hurrying over to them the little girl was helped onto the couch by her father and she sat in between them, smiling up at them both before Alexis sat with them and they began the movie. She was smiling widely, looking around her from time to time, feeling they really were a family._

* * *

 _"Okay?" Castle said as he walked over his wife._

 _"Yeah, you?" Beckett replied before he climbed into bed with her._

 _Smiling Castle kissed her cheek before telling her, "I'm not the one who's pregnant."_

 _"Oh, so you're talking about that now," Beckett replied, getting her hands out of the way for his hand and placing it on her abdomen._

 _"I can't really help it," Castle said. "Now we're finished with our honeymoon I think I'm allowed to focus on you two now."_

 _"Don't forget Julia," Beckett said, touched and shivering slightly as her husband began to stroke her abdomen gently._

 _"I won't," Castle promised before he leaned over and kissed her hungrily on the lips. When he felt her respond he carefully laid her down before they were kissing for a second time. Her leg wrapped around his and he groaned as her hips arched up against him a little. When they parted he looked down into her eyes and murmured, "Can-"_

 _"Yes," Beckett interrupted immediately. She smiled when he looked startled before she leaned up and caught his lips with her own and they were kissing deeply once more. Stroking at his hair everything seemed to come to her at once and she jerked her head away from him saying, "Hurry."_

 _With a nod Castle carefully undressed her, kissing her every second that he could, before they were laying back down on the bed bared to one another. He began with making love to her before she begged him to outright fuck her which he did so as roughly as he could._

 _When they had finally climaxed Beckett lay back on the bed, breathing heavily as she could still feel the after effects of her ecstasy in the throbbing of her body. She sighed in her pleasure as she stroked his hair again and told him, "I love you Rick."_

 _"I love you too," Castle said before he carefully moved away from her. He wasn't surprised when Beckett tried to keep him with her but moved until he went to her stomach. Pressing his cheek to it he murmured, "Thank you."_

 _"You don't have to say that," Beckett told him with a smile. "You helped with this too."_

 _"I did but…" Castle began to say before he kissed at her skin tenderly. He felt her shiver and then pushed himself up to her before cupping his hand over her abdomen again. "My input is limited and over at this point."_

 _Beckett smiled and then said, "But you're still going to do what you can."_

 _"Yes," Castle replied simply. He leaned over to kiss her and once they had parted he was startled when she pulled away. "What is it?" he asked, watching her stand._

 _"I want to check on Julia," Beckett replied. She was going to pick up her clothes when her husband stopped her and handed them to her._

 _After they were dressed Castle took his wife's hand and they walked out together to the hall and to their daughter's room. He let her go inside first to fix the bed sheet on top of Julia and smiled as she leaned down, kissing her forehead carefully. He followed her and then kissed the little girl as well and murmured that he loved her before letting his wife take them out of the room. "I still can't believe it," he said as he closed the door behind them in their room but didn't lock it._

 _"She loves you," Beckett replied with a smile before they got onto the bed._

 _"I know, it's just I'm getting to truly be her father and I don't have to worry about showing that," Castle replied with a smile. "I can tell she's getting used to that though."_

 _"Give her a little time," Beckett said, squeezing his arm before she laid down. "She is happy though."_

 _"I know; so am I; and we all need to get used to this," Castle told her seriously. He kissed her again before taking her in his arms and told her, "We will."_

 _"Of course," Beckett said, smiling before she leaned into him and they shared a gentle kiss before they laid back to fall asleep in each other's arms._


	39. Rowers Gliding On The River (Part 2)

"Good catch," Castle called to Julia.

"Should we do that to them though Daddy?" the girl asked worriedly.

"You should stop Rick," Beckett said, walking up to them then with a smile. "They need to eat."

"I'll be right back," Castle said, leaning over and kissing her cheek when she was close to him.

"Will you play with us now Mommy?" Eliza asked, hurrying across the grass to her mother with Julia.

"For a little, it's almost time to eat," Beckett told them. "Get what you want to play with," she said. She was startled when they shook their heads and she smiled saying, "What do you want to do?" not very surprised when they pointed to the lake at the same time. "Okay, come here," reaching her hands out to them. Once they'd taken them she led them down to the lake and they began to wade; since they were barefoot; and she told them, "We better leave the frogs alone."

"Yeah," Eliza said first. She then smiled and said, "Can we go deeper?"

"I think we're okay here," Beckett said before she heard the dogs starting to bark. She looked over with the girls to see Castle coming out with the dogs' bowls of food. "Watch out or they might take off your hands," she called teasingly to him.

Setting down the bowls Castle quickly got out of the way of the dogs who were almost devouring the food inside once they could reach it. "Still have all my fingers and hands," he said to the girls once he neared them, holding them up. He then looked at them and said, "Oh no my pinkie!" in an exaggeratedly panicked tone of voice.

"Daddy!" Eliza cried, giggling heavily. "It's there still."

"Oh… there it is," Castle said jokingly. He then went over to them after rolling up his pant legs and said, "Having fun?"

"Yeah, are 'lexis and Louis having fun where they went?" Julia asked.

"If it's not too crowded I think so," Castle replied.

"I don't think it will be crowded," Beckett said.

"Then yes, they'll have fun," Castle said with a nod. When the girls giggled he said, "We thanked our parents right?"

"We did," Beckett said since his mother had gone back to the bar in the other lodge and her father was at a restaurant down the street to let her and Castle have dinner alone with the girls. "At least they don't mind being on their own."

"I know Mother won't," Castle said with a smile. "Speaking of dinner," he said when he looked back at the tables and saw that someone was coming out to one with a tray in his hand. He helped Beckett usher their daughters over to one of the tables where they sat with their daughters between them on each side.

"When we go home," Julia asked after they'd eaten for a little bit. "What can we do?"

"We can go to the pool," Beckett said with a smile at her husband as she knew he was waiting for her to answer that.

"Really?" Eliza asked eagerly.

"Really," Castle said. "Every time we went swimming we thought of you two and how we wished you were there with us."

"He's right, we mentioned something about missing you two," Beckett said. She watched Eliza get up and was going to ask her if she was okay when the little girl reached her and climbed up onto her lap. She helped her the rest of the way and pulled her plate over to them before picking up half of her sandwich. "We can do that but we need to unpack first."

"Can we go with you when you do that?" Julia asked.

"Sure," Castle replied. "I'm sure you want to get your gifts."

"We want to see," Eliza said before she took a bite of her sandwich.

"Did you get us anything from the Winchester?" Julia asked.

"Some postcards so you can give them to your friends if you want," Beckett said, glancing briefly at her husband and shaking her head once.

"I'll send one to Erin, that way she can see it," Julia almost announced.

"Good idea," Castle told her. "You have to pick a good one."

"I have to see the postcards first," Julia replied with a smile.

"Mommy?" Eliza said then.

"Yes sweetie?" Beckett replied as she ate her pasta before wiping off her daughter's mouth.

"Can we swim after?" Eliza asked.

"Why don't we go to the dock," Castle said before his wife could answer. "And just sit with our feet in the water?"

"Kay," Eliza said, not knowing her parents were bracing themselves for her reply. She leaned back and looked at her mother and said, "Can we go now?"

"Wait until we're finished," Beckett told her. "Look, a couple more bites and you're finished with your sandwich," she said, holding the sandwich up to her mouth again.

Castle smiled as he watched them and then looked to his right when he saw that Julia was standing next to him. "You finished already?" he asked her. When she merely nodded he wrapped his arm around her and let her sit on his lap. "We missed this too," he commented to both girls.

"We did too," Julia said.

"We finished," Eliza said. "Can we go now?"

Laughing softly Beckett nodded and said, "Alright but we need to wait for them to take our plates."

Since the girls were looking at him hopefully Castle excused himself and he then went over to find someone to take their plates. Luckily it didn't take long and once the table was clear he and Beckett were walking with their daughters in between them. The dock was empty and he helped Eliza sit before he joined her, Julia and his wife; the two of them flanking their daughters. "I forgot about that," Castle said, seeing that Eliza's feet didn't reach the water.

"We'll go wading before we go inside," Beckett said quickly though she noticed that the little girl didn't seem to really care.

"I wonder if Froggo is down there," Eliza was saying. "With Wirral."

"I don't think squirrels can swim," Julia said with a smile. "Maybe he has another friend down there."

"Nemo!" Eliza cried, raising her hands in the air.

"Easy sweetie," Beckett said laughingly as she held onto her daughter. "Nemo lives in the ocean remember?"

"Oh… what are the fishies here?" Eliza asked.

"Fresh water ones," Castle said before he suddenly slipped into the water.

"Rick-" Beckett began to saw worriedly as she thought he'd fallen in.

"I'll take her on my back," Castle said quickly. "Come on."

"Go," Beckett said as Julia and Eliza looked at her. Once they were in and her youngest was set on her husband's back Beckett whistled and once the dogs were looking at her she pointed to the water.

Crying out with her sister as Macca and Rita leapt in Julia tried to hug the Wolfhound when he was close before Castle was telling her to move.

Beckett dove into the water neatly then and when she resurfaced said to her family, "This wasn't such a bad idea."

"The water feels nice Mommy," Eliza said.

"Okay?" Beckett asked her husband.

"I am, let's go before it starts getting cooler," Castle replied before the three of them swam back to shore.

The dogs were the first to step onto land and as their family was walking up to them they began to shake furiously, making the girls cry out and then laugh.

"Sounds like you guys had fun," a voice said then to them.

"Hello Mother, Jim," Castle said with a smile to the two as they walked up to them.

"How did you know we'd need towels?" Beckett asked in surprise when she saw the two had them.

"It was a guess," Jim answered.

"A good guess, look at you four," Martha said in mock seriousness. When the girls hurried up to her she said, "Wrap up and then we can hug."

Julia and Eliza did so without any complaint and then let their grandmother hug them tightly to her. "Did you have fun Gram?" they ended up saying at the same time.

Laughing Martha said, "I had a wonderful dinner, met a few fellow actors at the bar; they're staying over at the Paradox this weekend."

"I had a nice dinner myself," Jim said. "I had a wonderful view of the lake and trees."

"But you were by yourself Grandpapa," Eliza said as she made her way over to him.

"I needed it tonight," Jim replied.

"Are you going to be with us tomorrow when we go home?" Julia asked suddenly as her mother came over to help her dry her hair.

"We need to go back to the city," Jim said.

"We're stopping to let them catch the train to Union Station," Castle explained. "They need to work Monday."

"We'll come out in a couple weeks," Martha said. "Well," she directed to Beckett's father. "I'll come out I don't know about you Jim."

"Wait Mommy's dress!" Eliza protested.

"I measured myself," Beckett replied.

"And she told me," Martha said with a smile. "That and I'll be back in time to make any adjustments. Though it doesn't sound like too many will need to be done."

Castle wanted to ask what adjustment did need to be made before his father in law was speaking and unintentionally interrupting him.

"Alexis and Louis are still out?" Jim asked.

"They are," Martha said. "Likely they're going to go walk around the lake; very romantic."

"Should we tell them?" Castle asked his wife.

"I…" Beckett said, about to say no when she trailed off to think about that. "I almost forgot, she said we could let you know."

"Tell us what?" Julia asked interestedly after her mother's reaction.

"Apparently Alexis and Louis told each other that they love one another," Castle said.

"Really? She told you-" Martha began to say.

"Us," Beckett said swiftly.

"Both of you and not me?" Martha finished.

"She was going to but she only had a chance to whisper it out to me and Kate while we were waiting for the kayaks," Castle said.

"Should you have told us?" Jim asked as they made their way back to the lodge.

"She mentioned it," Castle said. "She's been giving me looks all day."

Recalling that Beckett said, "I think she did." She then looked at the girls and stopped everyone from stepping inside before telling them, "Don't tease her or-"

"Why would we tease her?" Julia asked.

"I'm looking at your daddy while I say that," Beckett pointed out.

"Hey," Castle said in mock annoyance. "I think what your mom was going to say also was let her talk about it if she wants to okay?"

"Kay." "Okay," Eliza and then Julia said. As they walked into the lodge they looked at each other, hoping their big sister was going to come home with them since they knew Alexis would talk about that with them already they just didn't know when.

* * *

"I'm thinking we should have told your family Lex," Louis told his girlfriend.

"I told you I mentioned it to them," Alexis replied, stopping where they were on the shores of Mirror Lake close to Lake Placid. "He probably told everyone but also Kate hesitated."

"Good thing you told her too then," Louis said before they sat together to put their feet in the water. "I'm wondering something," he said after they were quiet for a while, looking up at the stars.

"What?" Alexis asked.

"Something odd happened with your sister when they talked about that boy earlier," Louis said.

Alexis opened her mouth when she paused for a fraction of a second before telling him, "I know, I think he made her uncomfortable which is creepy."

"Horrible hearing that," Louis replied. "Well… we shouldn't see him again at least."

"Hopefully," Alexis said. "Listen tomorrow my gram is going to really be…"

"She'll be alright with us then?" Louis asked as he watched her closely.

"Yeah of course, I'm just hoping she won't be too over the top in her effusions," Alexis replied after shaking herself of her musings.

"I wouldn't mind," Louis said kicking the water slightly. "In fact, I'd be quite chuffed at that." He smiled when she laughed softly behind her hand and said, "I would remind you I'm from England."

"I know it's interesting hearing you say that in and in an Irish accent," Alexis said.

"Sometimes I think that's why you love me," Louis said teasingly.

Smiling Alexis leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the lips before she said, "That's a reason."

"Thank you for saying a and not the," Louis said in amusement. He looked around and then said, "Should we go?"

"I think so," Alexis replied, standing with him. They walked back to the lodge since it wasn't that far away and into their room in the other structure. "Want to go out to the deck?" she asked her boyfriend.

"Sure, though from what your parents were saying we'd have to get to bed soon," Louis replied as they stepped out onto the deck.

Since their view was of the lake Alexis' gaze when down to it when she spotted two figures on the dock the lodge owned.

"Is that them now?" Louis whispered as he stepped up next to her.

"It is," Alexis said, smiling as she could see Beckett leaning against Castle. "We should let them have some privacy."

Louis nodded and followed her back inside their room before he said, "I hope the others in the other rooms aren't watching them."

"They wouldn't have anything to see," Alexis replied. "All they're doing is talking." She then turned to him and said, "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Louis asked in slight surprise. When his girlfriend didn't answer him, he was going to ask again when she turned on the tub. Having his answer, he smiled before focusing his attention on preparing the water for them both.

* * *

"That went a lot better than I thought it would," Castle said, handing the mug of tea he had to his wife before he sat with her.

"What were you expecting?" Beckett asked him.

Castle thought about that for a moment before he then said, "Swooning? I told you Mother can fake a swoon impeccably."

"I don't think them saying I love you to one another warranted that," Beckett said.

Watching her sipping at her drink Castle frowned and said, "What?"

Not surprised he'd caught that Beckett said simply, "She was waiting for it to happen."

"I really wish people would stop walking on eggshells with me concerning Louis," Castle replied with a sigh. "I realize that this could be very serious and I'll say it again he wants to make her happy so I'm okay with this."

"I think he already does make her happy," Beckett pointed out to him gently. When he merely nodded she leaned against him before saying, "You were glad they weren't bored today?"

"You mean Eliza," Castle said, slightly laughingly. When she nodded he said, "I thought she was going to make herself fall off the kayak with a tantrum."

"I remembered yesterday when Julia got tired with the oar of the canoe," Beckett replied with a slight smile. "So, I decided she should see what we were talking about."

"And she did, really well," Castle said.

They were silent, glancing at each other every so often before she spoke first saying, "She didn't like him."

"I got the feeling, I saw him staring at her but I don't think he meant her any harm," Castle said.

"Neither did I," Beckett replied. "I think he was interested in her."

"But she wasn't," Castle replied. "Probably better he left with his grandparents then. How was she?" he asked.

"Disturbed but I think she managed to forget it quickly," Beckett said. "And confused," she added with a sigh as her husband was bringing his mug up to his lips.

Swearing slightly bitterly in Irish, Castle said, "What's going to help her find out?"

"I told you how Skye realized right?" Beckett asked him. She wasn't surprised when he nodded and she then said, "Mary told me how she herself did while we were walking at Point Loma the other day."

"When I was running ahead to see that boat getting their catch off?" Castle said.

Nodding Beckett explained, "She was about… nine or ten, Julia's age. Her parents' home had a pool and she and her best friend were playing some game; she couldn't remember. Something with a knight and a princess and Mary was the knight."

"She kissed her friend," Castle stated.

"Just on the cheek but it was enough," Beckett said. "And two years after that a lesbian couple moved in across the street; seeing them together made her fully realize."

"Were they…" Castle started to say.

"Nothing extreme just a kiss on the lips here or the way they held hands that indicated to Mary they weren't just friends," Beckett replied with a small smile. She then grew serious and said, "But that was Mary."

Castle wanted to protest that, that they had never hidden what homosexuality was from their daughter or showed they'd love her any less if it was who she was. But he knew it was futile and sighed heavily telling her, "I really wish we could just tell her."

"That would be forcing her," Beckett said.

"Skye said that?" Castle asked.

"And Mary; they were very pointed in stressing the need for Julia to know herself," Beckett answered. "She's growing up; she'll have more chances to know if that's who she is."

Seeing that his wife had finished her tea Castle took her mug and set it down with his on the other side before he said, "You're lucky the lake is deeper over here."

"I knew already," Beckett said simply, smiling. "Are you going to scold me for taking the chance?"

"I was going to see if I could work that in," Castle said. When she shook her head, still smiling, he then said, "We have to go to bed."  
"What time is it?" Beckett replied.

"Eight thirty," Castle said after checking his watch.

Nodding Beckett stood up and waited for him to do the same before she opened her mouth to speak. But before she could utter a word she was suddenly falling back into the water as her husband fell into it taking her with him. Her cry of surprise was short before they went under the water and when she resurfaced she splashed him before saying, "I should have known."

"How didn't you?" Castle asked her jokingly.

"I have to ask you how you expect us to get back into the lodge when we're wet?" Beckett said.

Castle opened his mouth to speak before he said, "Squeeze out your dress?"

Beckett laughed and then climbed up onto the dock saying, "Better we walk from here." She glanced at him still in the water and said teasingly, "If you can make it up here." She then had to step back as he almost vaulted himself up onto the dock and she said, "Good, David will be glad to hear you still have your upper body strength."

Giving her a quick look Castle became serious as he watched her wringing out the skirt of her dress. "Ready?" he asked her.

"I am, but we really need to go slowly," Beckett said as she allowed him to take her hand.

"Did you ever think that maybe they have people doing that a lot?" Castle said.

Beckett, confused, looked ahead of them where her husband's gaze was before she saw an employee from the lodge was there with two towels. After they'd thanked the woman she said, "I'm glad we signed those books for them."

"I know," Castle replied before they then dried off and headed inside to make their way up to the second floor and their room. When the door was closed behind them he confessed to her, "For all the practicing we did I'm still terrified… what if the bed moves? Your dad and our girls are under us."

"We won't need to worry about the bed," Beckett replied.

"It's… shower?" Castle guessed.

"No," Beckett said simply. "We need to do that first before we do anything."

"Oh," Castle said before he then followed her to the shower to undress before they stepped inside together. He had half expected her to kiss him but she merely stepped straight underneath the water. That told him what she was expecting so he allowed her a moment to rinse off before he helped her in washing off. He was next and he found himself enjoying her doing the same for him greatly before they were finishing. He wasn't sure how it happened exactly but she moved ahead of him and was drying off herself.

"Hurry," Beckett said simply as she glanced back at him and saw that he hadn't moved.

"I have to ask," Castle said to her once they were leaving the bathroom dried and with their towels wrapped around themselves. "What did you have in mind?" He wasn't surprised when she whispered into his ear but was at her request. Breathing out heavily he said, "I forgot you had it with you."

" _You just have to make sure I'm not moving around too much_ ," Beckett told him in Irish.

" _I can do that but… are you sure_?" Castle asked her.

" _You were the one who was worried about our movements_ ," Beckett replied.

" _Right_ ," Castle said. " _I think my mind is on home tomorrow and our bed_."

" _We'll get there soon_ ," Beckett replied, leaning into him and kissing him tenderly on the lips. "Come on."

"Shouldn't I get-" Castle started to say, pointing over to her suitcase. When she tugged on his hand hard he stopped and followed her, breathing a little heavier in joy as he had a faint idea of what she wanted instead of her idea and he climbed onto the bed with her before she pulled him down to her. They kissed deeply before he murmured into her ear and at her nod he almost attacked her neck with his mouth, hearing her cry before she could speak to him a second later, gaining his attention immediately.

"I thought you were going to go a little more slowly," Beckett told him. When he froze and looked at her she smiled and said, "You might get out of control."

At first Castle wanted to protest but then paused as he realized she was right. With a nod of his head he leaned down and gently kissed her lips as he wrapped his arm around her to hold her while he was doing that. He slipped his tongue past her lips carefully until they were tangling together gently. After a short amount of time they were becoming a little rougher with one another until he couldn't help himself and he reached for her towel.

Beckett had no protest as her husband bared her to him and she watched him toss the towel aside once it was off her. She then tugged on his until he moved enough so she could pull it off him and she glanced at his erection.

"That's a compliment," Castle told her quickly, seeing what she was looking at.

"I can tell," Beckett said before she leaned over and kissed him gently. She wasn't surprised when he cupped her cheek before he made it deeper. She was quick to respond to him, hungrily as well, before they pulled apart. When he gently laid her down she moved with him and then watched as he brought his right hand up to begin stroking her right breast. She bit her lower lip hard when she felt how careful he was being and she reached up to hold onto his arm with one hand before he leaned down. A soft moan left her lips as he pressed his lips against each nipple before moving away. She was a little confused by that before she remembered what they'd talked about before. "Wait," she said, grabbing him.

"No?" Castle asked in surprise. When she shook her head he nodded; as he could tell that she was serious; and he went back to her breasts. He kissed around them at first before he carefully pulled back to make her think he was going to do the same thing again. When he returned to her shortly after he kissed her again but quickly moved to capture her right nipple in his mouth. He could feel and hear his wife's reaction and groaned himself before he proceeded to suckle at her. At first, he tried to be gentle before he couldn't stop himself and he proceeded to do it a little harder.

Gasping Beckett held onto the back of his head tightly as the shock from his touch was very quick to spread through her body and she squeezed her eyes shut tightly as it made her body burn pleasantly. After he moved away from her other breast she forced her eyes open before she saw he was staring at her. "Rick…" she sighed as she could almost feel he was caressing her with his gaze.

"I know but… will you be okay?" Castle asked her seriously. He was startled for a moment when she took his hand but recovered in time when she brought it down to her sex. His fingers immediately found her clit as it was already heavily swollen and he shuddered before telling her, "You're so wet."

"I was thinking about you," Beckett said.

"And looking at me," Castle added. When she bit at her lower lip he couldn't resist the temptation and he leaned down, kissing her hungrily on the lips. He could feel her crying out against him and he settled on what he was going to do before he left her lips and then went down on her body. He stopped at her abdomen, kissing all over it firmly for as long as he could, until he pulled away.

"Please," Beckett outright begged him as she saw his slight hesitation. To her joy he then lowered his head and she moaned as she bit at her lower lip again while writhing on the bed as his kisses were literally electrifying against her skin. When he moved away she thought he was going to go lower on her when he was suddenly lying next to her. "What-" she started to say when he kissed her hard. She soon found that she couldn't protest as her husband's fingers were sliding around her clit and she was moaning shortly after as he teased her by slipping his fingers through her folds. "Oh god… you're going to…" she tried to say though she trailed off soon after as she was gasping and raising her hips.

Careful as he was moving his fingers inside of her Castle watched her closely since he knew he could very easily push her over the edge. He didn't want to do that yet so once he saw she was being affected a little too much he speedily moved his fingers from her. Before she could protest he was quickly rubbing at her clit again, watching the way her eyes rolled back in her head as he kept his fingers completely flat while he was doing that. She was holding onto him tightly and he smiled when she began nuzzling at him, knowing it was an attempt to keep from climaxing.

Breathing out when her husband stopped then Beckett opened her eyes to watch him and was amazed as she watched him flick his tongue out to his fingers, "Rick you-" she said. He was kissing her before she could finish that and she moaned as at the same time he was touching her again. She became a little dizzy, since he was a little rough with her swollen nub that time around, but there was some relief as he was quickly moving to her folds. A second later he was back at her clit and she couldn't stop the cry that escaped her in that moment before he was covering her mouth with his own.

Castle was moving his fingers around her sex for some time until finally he stopped as another idea came to him. He moved carefully at first so he wouldn't startle her and as Beckett was looking at him he sat back against the headboard. "Come here," he told her as he reached out for her.

With a smile Beckett went over to him and she shared a quick kiss with him before she straddled his lap at his direction. She looked on then while he cupped her breasts a little carefully and she couldn't help herself, pressing against his hands. When he proceeded to caress at her she closed her eyes and said, "You-"

"Hold on," Castle said, pushing himself off the headboard. He bowed his head and kissed feverishly over her mounds as she cried out and stroked at him before he pulled back carefully to look up at her.

"What?" Beckett asked, slightly startled at his stare.

Shaking his head once Castle then leaned back again and let his hands slide over her sides until he moved his right to her sex where he gently began to fondle it. He watched her closely to make sure she was enjoying that and once he saw that she was he moved to her clit specifically. "Move with me love," he commanded her.

Nodding her head Beckett started to do that, thinking that he was going to make her essentially pleasure herself against his hand. But she could tell that he was still moving it and she bit at her lower lip a little hard as she held onto his shoulders and stared at him intently. Though they had stopped a moment before she still felt an intense rush go through her with every pass she made over her husband's hand. She wasn't sure when exactly they began to kiss but she responded to him hungrily, wanting the added pleasure to distract her body from what it was going through. It didn't exactly work and something in her made her feverishly take her husband's left hand so he grasped at her right breast. He seemed to read her mind and she was crying out as he caressed at the mound before focusing on her nipple.

Taking the time to give each of his five fingers on that hand a chance to flick over the taut nub Castle watched her closely. He wasn't sure how long it took but after he'd done the same to her other breast he stopped and grabbed her to make her do the same. His plan had been to lay her down and do something to get him close to his own edge but before he could get his wife down on the bed she was stopping him and almost throwing him down on the mattress. "Kate?" he asked in slight surprise.

"You really thought I was going to let you just fuck me after that?" Beckett asked.

"I-" Castle started to say before he was suddenly being kissed. What felt like an instant later he was grasping onto his wife for dear life as he realized she was rubbing against him, her sex against his erection that she had amazingly moved to nestle between her folds without using her hands. He was swearing heavily when they parted and he looked down to try and see in between their bodies. But he couldn't as the shadows were blocking him and he just satisfied himself with the friction between them though she was incredibly moist. He began to thrust against her roughly, as he recalled he hadn't been unaffected when he'd pleasured her before, and kissed her frantically before he was biting at her neck. He prayed; in the back of his mind; that he wasn't hurting her doing that before suddenly everything seemed to freeze.

Her nails digging deeply into her husband's shoulders Beckett could feel his teeth on her earlobe and the throbbing of his body as his member had somehow; blissfully; managed to enter her. They finally could move and she rolled her hips, taking the last bit of him within her before she was hitting the mattress with her back. "Oh god Rick," she breathed as he remained still above her. "Fuck me, please I'm so close!"

Though he wanted to remind her he couldn't really do that Castle couldn't find it in himself to tell her that and instead started to thrust. He was extremely careful as he sped up slowly and when they were fast enough together to make the friction between them return until they were both gasping and groaning together in between passionate kisses. When they stopped he allowed himself to go over her neck hungrily, being careful not to bite at her as he'd done before. Just when he was going to lose the inward battle with himself to move faster he realized that his wife was close to her orgasm and he immediately stopped moving to her curse in Irish.

"Rick-" Beckett started to say in complete annoyance.

"I know I just didn't want to stop yet," Castle told her.

Though she knew she could have pointed out to him that he had already done so Beckett just let out a heavily frustrated groan. She then leaned up to him and began to kiss at his face, not bothering to linger as she let her lips go where they wanted. When he pushed her down to the bed again she could feel his frustration and tried not to smile before he began to thrust again. He was rough immediately but she knew he was still holding himself back as he'd been doing before. She still encouraged him as she was more than ready to reach the end of their intimacy and she could feel him giving that to her. "Rick…" she breathed. A few heartbeats later her nails were digging into her husband's back and just when she was going to cry out his name his lips were on hers. The ecstasy was so much that she nearly pulled away from him but somehow; as he was going through the same with his own climax; Castle managed to keep their mouths pressed together since they were moaning and groaning at the same time in their pleasure. She tried to express her enjoyment another way, raking her nails over his back until finally she was stopping and not letting him go as he took the rest of his pleasure with her to her delight.

Gasping for air when he had stopped thrusting Castle could feel his wife shuddering in pleasure as his breath was skittering across her collarbone and shoulder, skin that was moist from their exertions so far. He finally could raise his head, to keep from growing too aroused, and said, "That was…"

Beckett couldn't help smiling and told him, "I enjoyed it I think you felt that." She was going to continue when he got off her and she waited for him to lie down next to her before she pressed close against his side. "And you did too."

"Definitely," Castle said simply. He watched as his wife then pushed herself up and came to him, leaning over and kissing him roughly on the lips as he held her by the small of her back. As he began to gently rub her he said, "I wish we could do more."

"At least we'll be home tomorrow," Beckett replied though she agreed with what he'd said. "And we'll have more time there."

"You don't think we'll be tired still?" Castle asked.

"I won't," Beckett said simply. She was looking at her husband seriously but couldn't help smiling as he visibly swallowed. She wasn't sure what urged her to do it but she reached for his hand and brought it up to her lips, kissing it firmly.

As soon as she had stopped Castle pulled her to him and they were soon embroiled in another heavy kiss, grasping onto each other as tightly as they could. When they stopped he brought her hand up and began to kiss at her fingertips, telling her in between each one, "I want… to worship… you tomorrow… night for… hours."

Beckett could feel her cheeks heating up in reaction to his words before she said, "You don't think you were doing that tonight already?"

"You were to me too," Castle told her, wondering if he could get a reaction out of her with that.

Smiling Beckett told him, "I had to repay you; I needed to." She then leaned into him and kissed him deeply before saying, "Thank you though."

Castle kissed her that time and said, "Should we get some sleep?"

"Wait," Beckett told him. "There's something I was wondering," she said. "Before we leave here."

"Okay," Castle replied simply, wondering what that was.

"How did you know about the rooms exactly?" Beckett asked.

At first Castle thought she meant how he'd found the lodge but he stopped himself from answering in the next second as he then realized she meant the fact they were not fully soundproofed. "I was in the other lodge," he began. "And I could hear the couple in the room next to mine like I told you. Not fully, the walls weren't that thin, but I knew what they were doing."

"Did you ever see them outside their room?" Beckett asked.

"I met them downstairs at the eating area," Castle replied. When his wife nodded; since they'd seen it checking in the day before; he continued with, "We were at the bar and they introduced themselves to me. I can't recall their last names but they were Cordy and Tanya. They told me they had six kids."

"Six?" Beckett asked, raising her head to look at him.

"It sounded like they were trying for a seventh one," Castle answered. He then looked at his wife and said, "I never forgot that."

"What, the six kids?" Beckett asked.

"No," Castle said quickly. "The fact that I could hear them somewhat," he explained. "I made sure to remember just in case I ever came back with someone. To be honest I never thought I was going to."

"Why did you come Rick? And don't tell me it was just for writing," Beckett said seriously. She watched her husband rub his hand over his face and said, "It was recently."

Not surprised she'd figured that out Castle said, "Before I went to Vegas back in 2012."

Sighing Beckett said, "I'm surprised you wanted to come back."

"Things are way different from then Kate," Castle said. "While back then I might have been dreaming about having you like we were tonight, look at how it is now."

Smiling Beckett said, "I get the feeling that's part of the reason why it came up when we were talking about where to go."

"It is," Castle confessed. "Do you mind now you know?" he asked seriously.

"No," Beckett said in the same tone. She lay back down next to him and said, "I'm glad to know." When he asked why; as she'd expected; she said, "Because I'm sure it's turned out better than last time."

"Far better," Castle said with a serious nod. He smiled when Beckett laughed softly and he leaned over, kissing her gently on the lips. When they were lying down again he said, "It's been a hell of a trip though; trips actually."

"They have been," Beckett replied. "At least in the end we were able to do some sightseeing."

"Yeah, that was great," Castle said. "And got to see a lot of our friends."

"That too," Beckett said, laughing softly. "And got reunited with our family again. But like I said before I'm eager to get back home and get back to our book." She smiled when her husband groaned and said, "We can wait a day or two before looking at the plot again."

"Thank you," Castle said gratefully, kissing her forehead. He didn't pull away from her and looking into her eyes breathed, "Kate…"

"I love you Rick," Beckett whispered to him as she lay on her back and drew him to her.

"I love you too Kate," Castle murmured against her lips. "Always."

And with that they began to make love, going slowly because they wanted to and not because they had to, their desire to do so intense already. They wanted to feel one another and feel the joy and satiety they could provide that cemented their relationship even more than it already was.


	40. Epilogue- Till You're Home Again

Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: As it says this is the epilogue so that means we've come to the end of this story. But I do have the next story ready to go, so if anyone wants to read it look out for it in a few days!

A/N #2: Great to get the feedback I did for the last chapter so will get to my thank yous for it right away. MsNYC (Had to laugh at your review for the first half of the chapter, but I do know you love flashbacks so I was glad you liked the one I had there. Interesting to see you're wondering if Julia will tell Mari about that boy and the way he made her feel creepy. I'm so glad you're gushing over Alexis and Louis, I'm not surprised you feel like they're going for the long haul. And nice you love when in laws make appearances too. Not surprised you're commenting about a Caskett baby or that your fingers are crossed for that as usual. And happy to see you thought it was great writing as usual of course!) and  
TORONTOSUN (Great that you always like when I write flashbacks since I love doing that myself! And I was glad to see you thought it was very good writing in the chapter for Castle and Beckett with their daughters since I did do my best with that!).  
Thanks so much for the reviews, I loved reading them as usual and am grateful for the time taken to write them out and send them to me!

A/N #3: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song _You Belong to Me_ written by Pee Wee King, Chilton Price and Redd Stewart, the version I've taken from is sung by Ringo Starr from his album _Stop and Smell the Roses_.

Till You're Home Again

"I'm so glad they had that sign up on the highway," Alexis said after the hostess at the restaurant they were in had left them with their menus.

"I'm so glad they allow dogs in here," Beckett said, looking over at the dogs that were with them in their travel cages.

"Me too," Julia said. "But I wish we could let them out," she said with a sigh.

"Don't let him lick your fingers at the table sweetie," Beckett told her oldest.

"We'll let them out when we finish here," Castle said.

"But it's raining," Eliza said.

"Oh no, it stopped," Louis said, pointing outside. He smiled as the two girls looked out to see he was right and said, "Interesting little town."

"I'm glad we found it," Castle said. "Middle of September and we haven't gotten any apples yet. Or apple cider."

"We're going to wash our hands," Beckett said as she stood up and motioned for Julia to do so. "We want their hot apple cider to drink," she then told her husband.

"Good thing she had Eliza go too," Alexis commented as they watched them go.

"I imagine she'd want to go," Louis said. "Good thing though it stopped raining; your grandparents can get home alright on the train," he said as they'd already dropped off the two for that before stopping for lunch about three hours from the Hamptons.

Seeing her father looking at her Alexis quickly told him, "I call them that talking with him; it's easier to say than Gram and Jim."

"And me and Kate?" Castle asked.

"Parents," Louis replied. "Since it's true. So, what're you getting Lex?"

When they got back to the table from the restrooms Beckett saw that there were mugs of cider and she said with a smile, "We all got the same?"

"It's a good day for them," Castle replied. "Do you know what you want yet?"

"Not yet," Beckett said before looking through the menu. She finally nodded and said, "Now I do."

"Mommy," Eliza said then after she and her sister were sitting up on their chairs. "What is this place called?"

" _Lawless'_ which is really weird," Castle said with a smile.

"No, here," Eliza protested.

"She means the name of the town," Julia translated.

"Apple Canyon," the waitress said, coming up to them. She smiled at the girls and said, "Can I get your orders."

Waiting until everyone had ordered a sandwich of some kind Castle said, "And after that we'd all like a slice of apple pie. Let her know if you want anything besides whipped cream with it," directing the last to the others.

When the waitress had left Alexis said, "Thanks so much Dad."

"I don't think he could resist," Beckett said with a smile. "You can smell the pie all through here," she added as they were seated in the enclosed patio area of the restaurant since they had the dogs. She looked at Eliza who was on the other side of Castle, smiling as she was sipping at her cider and then humming in pleasure at the taste of it.

"It's good," the little girl said, smiling at her family around her.

"Are you working on the maze now?" Julia asked her little sister.

"Yeah," Eliza said seriously, nodding her head.

As the girls were busy with the activity placemats they'd been given Alexis said, "The cider is incredibly fresh."

"You didn't see the orchard outside?" Louis asked her, pointing to the north of them as an apple orchard boarded the building to the north.

Beckett smiled when her stepdaughter playfully pinched Louis and she said, "Which means you know the pie will be fresh too."

"I can't wait for that," Julia said herself with a smile. "Are we gonna go to the shops?"

"I think we should," Castle told his wife. "Since it's raining at home."

"We'll go to the pool again if it warms up," Beckett said as the girls both looked disappointed.

"She's right but for now enjoy the autumn weather," Castle said.

Their meals were brought out soon after and they began to eat, stopping their talking for a while until they discussed the next day.

"Now can we have the pie?" Julia asked hopefully after their plates had been cleared.

"We can," Castle said. "That's why I said we should go to the shops; we can walk off lunch and dessert."

Beckett smiled and nodded before their slices of pie were set out in front of them. She was relieved to see that Eliza's slice was thinner and Julia's only slightly bigger than that. She watched them eat but they did very well though Eliza's mouth was soon covered in whipped cream that Castle managed to wipe off.

"That was a fantastic lunch," Castle said once they were outside.

"It was but I am stuffed," Alexis said, watching her father and stepmother opening the cages for the dogs to run out.

Whistling immediately as the two almost rushed to the orchard up the slight hill from the restaurant Beckett pointed to a cluster of trees to their right. She watched them sniffing around before they came back to them as they'd already been to those trees when they'd arrived. "Sorry guys," she said once they were back with them and the girls held onto them so they could put on their leashes. "But you need to stick with us right now."

"It's kay, they're happy they get to smell all the leaves and trees," Eliza said before Julia was going back to the trees.

"What's she doing?" Louis asked as they all watched the girls taking pictures of the boulders that were surrounding the trees.

"We watch two shows where they make swimming pools," Alexis answered. "And they both talk about rocks like that being works of art."

"They are," Julia said firmly. "They're so beautiful, especially 'cause they have some of the rainwater on them."

"Let's go up to the stores now," Beckett said, placing her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "You're ready."

"Yep," Julia said with a smile. She took pictures of the trees they were passing, saying to the sight of a pine tree, "I can't wait for Christmas."

"I can't wait for Halloween," Castle commented.

"Me too! More candy!" Eliza giggled, being swung in between Alexis and Louis. She then looked up at her sister's boyfriend and asked, "Do you get to have candy?"

"At my parents' party yes; Lex told us how you'll go around trick or treating and showed us some movies of that," Louis replied. "And Erin was so intrigued that they did that last year, had a scavenger hunt for where they'd go to trick or treat in the house."

"That sounds fun," Eliza said, nodding her head.

"I don't know if you're going to want to go in Kate," Castle said after he looked at the first store they came to.

Glancing in herself Beckett wasn't surprised to find that it held mostly country type decorations she turned to the others before she saw that the girls were trying to look inside too.

"We can take them," Louis said. "Just a quick walk through."

"We'll be back," Alexis said, taking Julia's hand.

"Let me have Rita," Castle said to his wife. When she looked at him questioningly he said, "I know you want to and you haven't got a shot in all day."

Giving him a look Beckett said, "I took them at the lodge before we left." But she gave him the Hound's leash and got her camera out, taking pictures of the mountains around them that the town was nestled in, the foliage a mix of autumn colors and greens from the pines and evergreens. "Okay," she said, about to take back the leash.

Shaking his head Castle said, "I've got her."

Sighing, though she was also smiling slightly, Beckett looked over at Alexis as she was the first out. When no one else followed her she asked, "Did they knock something over?"

"No, I couldn't take the stuff in there anymore," Alexis said. "Not really my thing." She then scratched the dogs behind the ears and said, "This place is really nice, I'm surprised we've never heard of it before."

"We always went apple picking," Castle replied. "And then stopped doing that for walks in Central Park."

"Yes, we can come back," Beckett said in slight laughter before Louis was leading the girls back out. They headed down the row of shops but didn't go into any until they went up to the next row on the other side of a path. She was surprised to see a bakery at the first store and peered inside by using her camera. She managed to take a shot before suddenly Eliza was squealing and then talking to them eagerly.

"See the pie?" the little girl said, tugging on her father's head.

"I see," Castle replied.

"I don't think so," Beckett said in amusement when her husband looked at her.

"It's a little big Dad," Alexis commented after seeing the tall apple pie.

"Too big, let's keep going," Beckett said, holding onto Julia shoulder. "Sweetie-" she began.

"I see a really good picture Mommy," the girl complained.

"Where?" Beckett asked.

"There," Julia said, pointing to the seating area for a restaurant that was around the corner from the bakery.

"Alright, go ahead," Beckett said. She felt her husband come up to her and was about to turn to him before he was whispering into her ear. She turned her head and spotted the sign that Louis had found on a post at the path in between the shops.

"Not sure?" Castle asked. When she looked at her watch he said, "It can't be that big."

"Alright," Beckett said, glancing over at their oldest to see that she was still taking pictures. "Julia," she called to her.

"What?" the girl said once she was with them. Julia was startled when her mother pointed back to the path and she looked for a while in confusion. Suddenly she gasped before she said, "Can we go?"

"Go where?" Eliza asked, coming over to them after leaving Alexis and Louis.

"They have a zoo," Julia told her before their parents could say anything.

"Can we?" Eliza then said.

"Yes, let me get the tickets," Castle told them before he went inside the bakery as the sign for the zoo had said that at the bottom.

"I hope they have lions," Eliza said eagerly.

"I don't think it's that kind of zoo sweetie," Beckett said as she held her back.

"Oh…" Eliza sighed. She then brightened up and said, "Horsies?"

Beckett was going to answer when she suddenly recalled Alex and was about to speak when she felt her stepdaughter touching her arm.

"We'll pass the stables on the way home," Alexis said. When her stepmother was about to open her mouth to reply she said, "You don't have to ride, I'm sure he'll enjoy seeing you again."

"You went to see him didn't you," Beckett said, looking down at her oldest.

"I knew he was gonna miss you," Julia said firmly.

Sighing Beckett said, "Thank you. And we can see him but very quickly and once we get back home."

"Okay we can go ahead," Castle said, walking over to them and passing out the tickets. "They were really cheap so I don't think it's going to take us that long to go through it," he told his wife as they followed the others.

"We're stopping at the stables before we go home," Beckett told him.

Castle was slightly startled but then looked at his wife closely, seeing she was serious, and he nodded saying, "Good idea, I'd like to check on Julius myself."

Julia turned around as her sisters were handing over their tickets for the zoo; Louis taking the dogs to wait for them outside. "Are you gonna take pictures?" she asked her mother.

"Of course," Beckett replied.

"Of the animals, not us," Julia added.

"If you want me to," Beckett said, losing her battle to fight a smile.

"Yeah you can take some really nice pictures in there," Julia replied, nodding her head a few times. "And what if there are horses?"

"I said I'd take them," Beckett said, unable to stop her slight laughter at how serious her daughter was. They gave their tickets then and saw that Alexis was talking to Eliza on the path ahead of them. "What is it?" she asked.

"She's collecting acorns," Alexis told them.

"Eliza," Castle said as he saw that the little girl was trying to pull them from around some stones along part of the earth cut into a cross section by the path. "You know who eats those right?"

Stopping Eliza stood up and looking at her father said, "Yeah, squirrels."

"You're taking their food," Julia quickly told her sister.

Seeing Eliza's chin start to wobble Beckett took her arm and said, "It's okay sweetie, you can just leave it for them."

"Kay," Eliza said slowly.

"Lizzy, look! Look what's here!" Julia cried out as she had looked down the path ahead of them.

Hurrying to her sister Eliza took her hand before they came to a large chicken coop and she gasped when she saw that there were peacocks in side. "Is that the girl one?" she said, her tears forgotten.

"It is," Beckett said after taking at picture of the two birds inside. She then took one of the girls, pressed up against the mesh to peer at the birds before they continued to the next chicken coop.

"Are those chickens?" Eliza asked, looking up at her parents.

"They are," Beckett said, taking another shot. She was slightly startled as the little girl crouched then, trying to call the chickens over before she took a picture of her.

"Julia?" Castle asked as he was looking at her.

"I'm not cheating, they're right there," the little girl said in protest.

"Did you get tired of the chickens already?" Alexis asked her.

"Look what's over there," Julia said, pointing further down the path.

"We'll get there soon," Beckett said, spotting the small stable with three horses that were sticking their heads out.

"You don't want to go into the petting zoo?" Castle asked as he was holding Eliza's hand and the little girl was trying to go over to the stable.

"Do you?" Beckett asked Julia when Eliza shook her head no firmly.

"Not really," Julia said, glancing over at the animals there before her gaze went back to the horses.

"Alright, let's go," Beckett said slightly laughingly, shaking her head.

"You wanted to go too," Castle whispered to his wife.

Giving him a look; though it didn't really have much behind it; Beckett walked with him before the girls were stopping at a fence.

"Look at the little horsie!" Eliza cried.

"He's eating the fence," Alexis said as the little girl crouched down to the horse.

"I don't know if you should-" Castle began to say as Eliza placed her hand up to the fence. He cut himself off when the horse stopped and pulled away slightly before giving off a whinny and pressing its nose against the fence. "I think she's taking after you too," he commented.

"Is it because it's small?" Julia asked, not really surprised as her little sister had always been good with ponies.

"No," Beckett said simply though she couldn't really explain it much more than that.

"We should keep going," Castle said to his wife after they'd watched Eliza talking to the horse for some time.

"Right," Beckett said, glancing up at the sky. The stable was next and she looked at the three horses as they turned their attention to her.

"What kind are they?" Julia asked her mother, watching her.

"Thoroughbred, Gypsy Vanner and Morgan," Beckett replied. She glanced around to the side of the structure and said, "I think they pull those wagons there."

"Can you pet them?" Eliza whispered to her.

With a smile Beckett said, "I don't know."

"You can," Castle said. When his wife looked at him he said, "I'm being literal, you could and you know they'd let you."

Beckett was going to say something to that but stopped when she saw that their daughters were all watching her expectantly. She couldn't help but joke then saying, "There's a thing called peer pressure."

" _Tá a fhios againn cheana féin is mian leat a_ ," Castle said simply in Irish.

"What did he say?" Julia said to Alexis.

"From the little I know of Irish something about we," the young woman replied.

"We already know you want to," Beckett translated directly. "And it's still peer pressure."

Castle wanted to comment on that, to tell her to just go up to the horses that were still watching her, when she stepped up to them. He watched; as he always did though he'd seen her with horses numerous times already; as she held her right hand out to all three, looking down slightly to keep them from thinking she was a threat before she waited in front of the Morgan.

When the horse pressed its nose against her hand Beckett very carefully ran it up over to its forehead. When she felt the Gypsy Vanner nibbling at her jacket sleeve she moved on to it.

"I think they were waiting for you," Castle couldn't help pointing out as the Thoroughbred nudged at his wife's arm next.

"Come on," Beckett then said to the girls.

"Can we?" Julia asked.

"Yes," Beckett said. She watched the two walk up to them and looked on as Julia reached out to pet the Thoroughbred first. She waited for the girl to pet all three horses; which they allowed her to do; before she picked up Eliza. "Hold out your hand," she said, going to the Thoroughbred first as well as she could tell that the horse was the calmest of the three.

"I know," the little girl whispered. She tried not to squeal when she could feel its breath on her and when it nudged slightly at her hand she rubbed the middle of its face as her mother had. After she'd done the same with the other two horses she wrapped her arms around her mother tightly and said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome sweetie," Beckett replied, kissing the side of her head. When she looked at her husband she wasn't surprised to see her camera going into the bag she'd held and she said, "Let's keep going."

Making their way up an inclined path the family passed a trout pond that the girls became interested in until their big sister let them know it was for fishing.

"They put them back right?" Julia asked. When Alexis looked at their parents she frowned and then said to Eliza who wasn't really paying attention to them, "We can't have fishies like that for pets, let's go."

"Something tells me that when she gets older she might go veggie," Castle said. When Beckett glanced at him he shook his head and said, "Not because of Paul; she already knows he and Linda are… well…"  
"I know," Beckett said with a slight smile. "And you might be right. _What would you do if she is_?"

" _What kind of question is that_?" Castle asked, trying to take it as a joke though he comprehended that she really wanted to know. "Love her and support her and learn to make a ton of veggie meals for her. Also teach her too."

"You're gonna teach me to cook?" Julia said, standing in front of the two before they stopped abruptly.

"I think we should," Castle said, going to the girl and wrapping his arm around her. "That way she could be on _Chopped Junior_ in a couple years."

Giggling softly as Beckett shook her head with a smile Julia told him, "A lot of them were cooking when they were little."

"That doesn't mean you wouldn't have a chance," Alexis said with a smile as she'd heard what they'd said. "And now is about the time Dad had me help with meals."

"A little younger," Castle said to his daughter. "I've been remiss in that."

"She can learn now Daddy," Eliza told him.

"I'll try tonight," Castle replied. He glanced ahead of them and said, "I was right; it was a short trip."

"Not really, we lingered a few times for a while," Beckett said, checking the time. "We need to get going or else traffic is going to be a nightmare."

"Right," Castle said, picking Eliza up before they left the zoo.

As the girls and Alexis were telling Louis about the horses they were walking to the second half of the stores. The first one they came to they found had different food items including candies and caramel apples.

"I think we're going to get suckered into buying some," Castle commented to his wife as they were watching their daughters looking a little longingly at the apples.

"We?" Alexis said, standing next to them. "More you Dad."

"Well you're a lot of help," Castle said in mock annoyance as she stepped ahead with them to her sisters.

"I was thinking of getting one for them to share anyways," Beckett said, smiling when her husband looked at her.

"Then the four of you are going to sucker me," Castle told her. He smiled when she merely glanced at him before joining their daughters.

"Can we get one?" Julia asked hopefully.

"Yes, you'll share it with Eliza," Beckett replied. "Do you want one?" she asked Alexis as the young woman had turned to go to the door.

"I do, I need to see what Louis wants," Alexis replied.

"You want to share one love?" Castle asked.

"Sure, but why are you pulling me away?" Beckett asked before the girls looked up at them.

"We'll get the apples but let's look at these first," Castle said, motioning to their daughters to follow.

"What is it?" Julia asked as they came to the opposite end of the store.

"Hot chocolate mixes," Castle told them. "Pick one of these out," he said as he pointed to some of the larger containers of the powder.

Watching the girls looking over them; Julia reading off for her sister when Eliza asked; Beckett said, "I would suggest peppermint."

"Okay," Julia said. She reached for a canister and asked, "Is this it?"

"It is," Castle replied. They turned around and when they saw that Alexis was there he asked, "What would he like?"

"He said with the Oreo crumble on the outside," the young woman replied. She smiled and said, "I held the door open for him so he could see them."

"Okay," Beckett said as they walked back to where the apples were. "Girls?"

"Sprinkles!" Eliza said eagerly.

"Yes, we can get that Rick," Beckett told her husband when he turned to her. "I knew," she said as she could see his surprise.

"Okay," Castle said before he then turned to the counter and ordered the apples they wanted. "Anything else here?" he asked his wife as they were alone after paying.

"No, we should keep going," Beckett said. "Good luck trying to get them to leave though."

"You can't blame them," Castle said as the three were watching some women make fudge. "I guess," he directed to them. "I'll take these apples and eat them all by myself."

Beckett smiled at the way the girls immediately turned and came over to them, protesting to their father. "Come on," she said laughingly. "Let's go and see what the other stores have before we go home."

Holding onto her mother's hand Eliza asked, "When can we have the apples?"

"Are you hungry?" Beckett asked jokingly.

"No," Eliza said after thinking that over for a moment.

"After dinner later tonight," Castle told her.

"Are we going to get any regular apples?" Julia asked.

"We will," Beckett said. "But not yet," she added as they stopped at the final store in the row.

"Are we going in here?" Alexis asked her stepmother as they saw her looking inside.

"Yes, come here you two," Beckett said to them. "I want to see if you want these."

"What Mommy?" Eliza asked.

"Do you want some moccasins?" Beckett said once they'd reached the display she'd spotted.

"Could we?" Julia asked eagerly.

"They're good shoes for the spring," Beckett said. "If you want a pair pick one."

"Good idea," Castle told his wife as they waited for their daughters to look over the selection for kids.

"I had a pair myself but they didn't look like this," Beckett said. "Obviously they weren't the same kind."

"I like these Mommy," Eliza said, holding up a light blue pair.

While Castle took over finding the box that held the ones in her size Beckett turned her attention to Julia. "Those?" she asked with a smile.

"Are they okay?" the girl asked as she handed the box with her size she'd found to her mother.

"Do you like them?" Beckett responded.

"Yeah, the beading is really cool," Julia said.

"Alright, try them on," Beckett said as she took one of the shoes out of the box. "What about her?" she then asked her husband.

"They fit," Castle replied as he watched Eliza walking around. "And I think she likes them."

"Mine fit too Mommy," Julia replied.

"Then let's go," Beckett replied before she put her oldest's shoe back in its box. She then went over to the register after she had Eliza's shoes and paid while the three went outside.

"Don't worry Macca, Rita," Eliza was saying to the dogs as she pet them. "We'll go home and you can run there."

Castle wanted to point out it would likely still be raining at home but he turned his attention to his wife as she was stepping out with a bag. "That's it?" he said to her.

"That's it," Beckett replied. "Let's go get some apples and cider," she directed to the girls with a smile as they were looking at her expectantly.

The girls led the way to the stall that was on the other side of the restaurant where they'd eaten lunch, deterring the dogs from chasing after a few squirrels that had run across their path. When they were the first to step into the darkened stall Eliza ducked behind her sister as two workers were behind the counter they'd seen first thing.

"Look at the pumpkins," Julia whispered behind her.

"You can go inside you two," Beckett said with a smile as she reached them. "Come on, it's alright," she said when they still hesitated.

"You have to come in," Castle told them. "That way you can help me pick what to decorate the kitchen table with." He wasn't surprised when they quickly walked over to him and he led them to the right side of the stall where there were several small pumpkins, some dried ears of corn and different kinds of squashes.

"Are you going to put it in a bowl Daddy?" Eliza asked him.

"I think we might have to," Castle replied as he looked over what they had to choose from. "How about some corn that's different colors and then the squashes?"

"What about pumpkins?" Eliza protested.

With a smile Castle told them, "I was thinking of having a white one right in the middle of the squash in the center." He smiled wider as they nodded and he told them, "Let's pick out the best ones."

Beckett, who had been taking pictures all around the store, came back over to the three and said, "How's it going?" she asked as she saw her husband had a basket made of wood to hold what they were picking.

"Good, I think we have enough," Castle said, showing her what was in the basket.

"Not yet," Beckett said with a smile as he looked at her in surprise. "You can pick out pumpkins for your rooms."

"Our office?" Castle asked as their daughters hurried to tell Alexis.

"If you want to," Beckett said, watching as he began looking through the rest of the miniature pumpkins.

"I don't think I can get one of these," Alexis was saying as her sisters pulled her into the stall.

"Why not, you can put it in your room," Julia asked.

"I'm leaving soon," Alexis replied.

"You can still put it in your suitcase," Castle said. "Though I'd put it in your carryon wrapped up."

"Okay," Alexis said with a slight laugh before she went to the table where her sisters helped her find a pumpkin. When she had picked up one that was orange she went close to the exit to stall to show her boyfriend.

"Looks good," Louis said, giving her a thumbs up.

"Does he want one?" Castle asked, coming up to her.

"I'll ask," Alexis said, giving him her pumpkin and stepping outside.

Watching the couple as she stood next to her husband Beckett said, "I wonder why it's taking her this long."

"Something's up," Castle replied.

"She'll tell us," Beckett said firmly. When he looked at her she said in the same tone, "She will."

"Yeah," Castle said slowly before he nodded and then took her hand with his free one to look behind them to check on their daughters.

"He wants one," Alexis said to her stepmother as she ended up walking to her first.

"Are you picking it?" Beckett asked her with a smile.

"I am, he apparently trusts me," Alexis replied. She gave her stepmother a brief smile before going over to the table once again.

Beckett watched her go before she then turned her attention to the worker that was coming up to her. "Thank you," she said as the woman handed her a small plastic cup of cider. She followed the employee over to the rest of her family and watched the girls drinking their samples.

"Yum," Eliza said before she hiccuped once. "Can we get some?"

"We will," Castle said, watching her in amusement before he drank his own sample. "We're checking out the different apples love," he told his wife. "What do you think?"

"I think we should pick out at least three bags," Beckett replied.

"For us?" Julia asked in surprise.

"How many times do you get apple slices in your lunch?" Beckett asked her teasingly.

With a smile Julia said, "And snacks too."

"Exactly," Castle said. "I'm thinking Fuji definitely."

"Okay," Beckett said, watching him pick up the paper bag by the handle on the top.

"What?" Castle asked when he looked at her to see her studying the apples with a slight frown on her face.

"I think we should get another," Beckett replied. She grabbed two bags and directed her husband to pick up a bag of the Granny Smith variety.

"What are these?" Eliza asked her mother, looking at her bags.

"It says," Julia said, looking at the handles where the names were. "Honey… crisp?"

"Right," Beckett said, nodding at her.

"And this says C-Came… o?" Julia asked her.

"It is," Beckett replied. "Can you stay here and we'll pay?" When the two nodded she went over to the register where Castle was waiting for Alexis as she was at the squashes.

"I think she wants to decorate her Oxford home too," Castle told her.

"Most likely," Beckett said, smiling at him.

"Are they gonna kiss?" Eliza whispered then to her sister as they watched their mother placing her hand on their father's shoulder and whispering into his ear.

"No, not here," Julia replied with a smile, turning her attention to taking pictures of the other bags of apples.

Once Alexis had handed him a few squashes Castle asked for a gallon jug of cider before he was paying for everything. The family then headed outside together to the cars where the dogs could go into the back of the car Castle would be driving home.

"Mommy?" Eliza asked her mother. "Can I go the rest with 'lexis and Louis?"

"Are you sure?" Beckett asked with a smile as the request didn't surprise her. When her youngest nodded firmly she was about to tell Castle to grab Eliza's car seat when she saw that he already was.

"Does she need anything during the drive?" Alexis asked as her littlest sister rushed to her and embraced her tightly.

"Here's her water," Beckett said. "And her horse," she added, handing the two things over to her stepdaughter. "Other than that no, she'll be fine."

With Louis' help Castle got the car seat set before he helped Eliza in saying, "Have fun with them but make sure you behave."

"I will Daddy, I promise," Eliza said before she hugged him, having hugged her mother already. "Wait!" she said before she got into the seat. "Can Rita come here?"

"Sure," Louis said, smiling slightly as the others looked at him. "They behave themselves, right?"

"They do," Beckett replied with a nod, watching her husband call the Hound to the other car. "We'll see you at home," she called to them.

"Are you ready?" Castle asked Julia once he and Beckett were set in the car.

"Yeah, Macca is too," the girl replied, scratching the top of his head. "Are you happy?" Julia then asked her parents.

"Extremely," Castle said. "But for now," he said as he pulled out onto the road first before Louis behind him followed. "We're on our way," he finished as Becket started some music playing, smiling with her when their oldest laughed behind them.

* * *

"Are you excited Mommy?" Julia asked her mother.

"Am I walking too fast?" Beckett asked, looking down at her daughter with a smile.

"No, I can tell you're excited," Julia replied.

"I am, I haven't seen Alex in too long," Beckett said.

"Too bad we can't ride them," Castle commented, behind his wife with the others behind him.

"I know," Beckett said, looking at him over her shoulder. She shot him a look momentarily before she turned her attention ahead of them to the stable they were walking into. Since she was holding onto Julia's hand she was able to resist the urge to run to Alex as she could easily see his head sticking out of his stall.

"Go Mommy," Julia told her, letting her go.

"Thank you, sweetie," Beckett said though she didn't run, merely strode as fast as she could to her horse. " _Hello boy_ ," she said in Irish to him. When she heard his hooves hitting the floor she smiled widely and held his head in her hands before kissing his forehead.

"Are you jealous Daddy?" Eliza asked her father, looking up at him.

With a slight laugh, that he tried to keep quiet, Castle shook his head and said, "Don't worry I know your mom loves Alex the same she loves Macca and Rita."

"Here Dad, let me take her so you can see Julius," Alexis told him before taking her little sister. She watched as her father went over to his horse and greeted him nearly the same way Beckett had greeted Alex. She smiled and said to her boyfriend, "They love horses."

"Likely helps them stay together," Louis replied with a smile before they turned their attention to the two with their horses.

"Girls," Beckett said as Alex was nibbling at her jacket shoulder. "Alex _stad, ta a fhios agam gur féidir leat boladh an úlla_ ," she told the horse, scratching his neck.

"What did you say Mommy?" Eliza asked interestedly.

"Stop I know you can smell the apples," Castle translated.

"He can?" Eliza said in amazement.

"He can," Beckett replied before she kissed his forehead. "I wish I could take you out boy," she told him. "But you wouldn't want to go in the rain."

"You could walk him inside," Alexis said.

"Already done," Castle said. When his daughter looked at him in surprise he explained, "Charlie takes the horses every day they're not being ridden to the corrals depending on the weather. He took them around lunch time so they had their exercise."

"As I was saying before," Beckett told the girls. "Can we have their apples?"

"Julius," Eliza said as she hurried to her father but did her best not to run. "This one is a…"

"Honeycrisp," Castle told her.

"Yeah, it's a good apple for you," Eliza said with a nod before she handed the apple to her father.

Castle swiftly cut it in half and then fed one half to Julius before he picked the little girl up and let her feed the other half to the Andalusian. "Good job," he told her before kissing her temple.

"You don't want to feed Alex?" Beckett asked her daughter as Julia had given her the apple for him.

"No thanks," Julia said before she went over to her father as Beckett fed both slices to her horse. She watched with a wide smile as her mother was murmuring to Alex in Irish and scratching him before she stopped. "We don't have to go," she said as her mother turned to them.

"I think we do," Castle said, knowing how his wife was going to answer that before she could speak. "But hey, we'll be able to come back another time and see them again."

"Now we go home?" Eliza asked.

"Now we go home," Beckett said with a smile, squeezing her arm.

The family walked out of the stable, ducking under umbrellas in the rain to make the last trip they would need to that day to return home.


	41. Till You're Home Again (Part 2)

"Watch out you two," Beckett told the girls as she was picking up her suitcase.

"Oh Mommy, I'm so happy," Julia told her mother.

"I can tell," Beckett said as she unzipped the case. "But I am too. Do you know how many times your daddy and I were talking about being home and missing home?"

"Lots?" Eliza asked, looking at her mother and not the inside of the suitcase.

"A lot," Castle said in agreement as he walked over to them to put his suitcase on the bed. "Oh good, I was hoping you two would be here," he told them with a smile.

"Why?" Julia asked, looking over at him as her little sister crawled to sit next to his suitcase.

"These," Castle replied, pulling out two boxes.

"You got us planes?" Eliza asked eagerly.

"Of course," Castle said. "We told you we went to the Air and Space Museum," he added as the two were looking at their planes and the liveries on them.

"Thank you, Daddy!" Eliza cried first, hugging him tightly.

"Yeah, thanks," Julia said, leaning over to hug him the best she could.

"Did you get them too?" Eliza asked Beckett who was taking clothes out and setting them aside.

"No that was all your daddy; I just watched," Beckett replied. She then took out the polar bear shirt she'd picked out for Eliza at the zoo. "I picked that sweetie."

Smiling widely the little girl looked at the shirt before she hugged it to her tightly. "Thank you, Mommy," Eliza told her mother.

"Hold on," Beckett told her with a smile. "Wait until we're done unpacking before you hug me."

"Kay," Eliza said.

"This one's yours," Beckett said as she handed Julia her giraffe shirt.

"Thanks," Julia told her parents with a wide smile.

"You're welcome, here're your postcards," Castle said. He and his wife then gave the last two gifts they'd gotten before they handed over the coloring books they'd bought in San Diego. "You two got an early Christmas," he told them jokingly.

"Yeah this is nice, everything is," Julia said, looking at one of her coloring books. She looked at her parents and asked, "Did you finish?"

"We did," Beckett said, going back over to the bed after putting away her suitcase. She wasn't surprised when the girls both hugged her tightly and she was quick to embrace them back with a soft laugh. "You're very welcome."

"Do we hafta do chores now?" Eliza asked.

"No, these were little gifts so you know we were thinking about you," Castle said.

"Did you get anything for 'lexis?" Julia asked.

"These," Castle said, handing over the plane plus coffee mugs from San Francisco that his daughter had asked for, for herself and Louis. "Take them to her and tell them we're going down to the kitchen to start on dinner."

When their daughters had left Beckett said to him with a smile, "I'm surprised they didn't figure out what you were doing with that."

"Great, I didn't want them to," Castle said as he was walking to her. He wrapped his arm around her before pulling her close against him and he told her, "We're back."

"Pervert," Beckett replied before she smiled again. She leaned into him and they began to kiss, holding onto him as tightly as she could before his tongue proceeded to lightly stroke against hers. She responded the best she could before they parted and pressing their foreheads together she murmured, "But I am glad we're back too."

"After they're in bed," Castle told her.

"After," Beckett said in agreement, nodding her head slightly. She leaned into him and they kissed again, though much quicker, before she took his hand and they walked out to the hall to head down the stairs. When they passed the kitchen table she wasn't surprised when he looked over at the table where the bowl with the corn, squash and pumpkin was. "Leave it alone Rick," she told her husband. "They'll notice if you move anything."

Though he wanted to protest that they wouldn't Castle knew she was right so he merely followed her into the kitchen before he paused. "We're forgetting something," he told her.

"Someone," Beckett said before she heard someone coming down the stairs.

"I almost forgot about dinner!" Julia cried out as she rushed to her parents.

"And the others?" Castle asked.

"They're gonna come down but they're looking at the stuff you got them," Julia explained.

"Okay then first we need to get your apron," Castle said before his wife was handing him the kids' sized apron almost the same design and color they'd seen on the kids' cooking show. He smiled and then said, "And with that on let's see what we can make."

Looking on a slight smile played at the edges of Beckett's lip as Castle was looking through the pantry with Julia right in front of him mimicking the movements of his hands. When they stepped back she said, "Pasta?"

"Perfect to start her out with," Castle replied. "Alfredo," he then said.

"I thought so," Beckett replied. "Should I help?"

"What about a salad?" Julia suggested before she smiled as her parents looked at her.

"Okay," Beckett said as she went over to the fridge. While she was getting everything out for the salad she was half listening to Castle telling their oldest how to prepare the noodles.

"How do you remember all of this stuff?" Julia asked as he handed her the linguini pasta.

"Practice," Castle said simply with a smile. "Go ahead and break it in half, the water's almost ready."

With a satisfying crackle sound Julia tore the pasta in half and when her father told her that she could drop it in the boiling water she did so as he'd taught her. "Do you think that Lily will go on _Chopped_ again?" she asked her parents.

"She'd like to," Beckett answered as she was cutting up some carrots. "But they'll ask her back if they want her on again."

"You know what would be really great?" Castle asked his wife after he'd helped Julia in stirring the pasta. When Beckett made a sound to let him know she was listening he said, "If she made it to a tournament one."

"That would be scary," Julia said. She couldn't continue as her father was teaching her how to test the pasta to see how soft it was. But once she was doing that on her own she said, "You would have to compete twice with all those baskets."

"She loved it," Beckett said with a smile. "She thrived on the time though she had that trouble with the ice cream machine in the dessert round."

"Would you do it?" Julia asked her father.

"If they asked me, sure," Castle said.

"You definitely should Dad," Alexis said as she was walking down the hall with Eliza on her hip and Louis behind her.

"Maybe they'll have all writers together," the young man commented as he and his girlfriend sat at the island with Eliza.

"That means you too Mommy," the little girl said.

Laughing softly Beckett said as she tossed the salad, "I guess so."

"Would you do it Mommy?" Julia asked. "You would have to… compete against Daddy," she added as her little sister looked at her.

"I would," Beckett said, looking at her husband.

"It wouldn't matter," Castle replied. "It would be enough to really be on the show." He poured the drained pasta into a colander as Julia watched and then had her carefully pour the warmed-up sauce from its pot into the dish the noodles were in.

"I'm done," Beckett said, leaving then to take the salad over to the table.

"Help us set the table," Alexis said to Eliza and together they began to quickly get the plates to put on the table.

Once they had their drinks the family gathered around the table and began to talk about what they would do that week. Since Alexis and Louis were nearing the end of their summer break they spoke through the meal about what they wanted to do before they headed back to England.

As they were clearing up the table by the time she and her boyfriend had stopped Alexis glanced at Louis who nodded quickly at her. "Dad?" she said.

"Yes?" Castle asked as he turned to her at her hesitant tone.

"Well, this is more to everyone," Alexis said with a smile for Beckett and her sisters. "When we go back to Oxford, Louis and I are going to be living together in my townhouse with Di and Padma." She braced herself for some sort of reaction but when she got none but a nod from her father and a smile from her stepmother she said, "You're okay with it?"

"We knew already," Beckett said first.

"You… how?" Louis said, stunned.

"She knew," Castle replied. "I just agreed with her when she told me you'd be moving in with Alexis this coming year."

"So, you're alright with that?" Louis asked.

"Oh of course," Castle said first. "You don't mind living with two other girls? And they don't mind?"

"I asked them about it back in June," Alexis answered. "And they were fine with it because Padma's boyfriend is moving in too."

"You mean the Welsh boy?" Beckett asked with a smile as they'd heard a lot about young man who was Louis' friend at the college.

"Aye, Kenneth's moving in with Padma later this month," Louis answered. "They're going to try it for a bit."

"Are you?" Eliza asked, standing close to him.

"We're already sure about this," Alexis said, smiling at her boyfriend.

"And you'll try it once you're back," Castle said with a smile. "So, we're fine with it and now we know why you were asking him about the pumpkins."

"What do we do now?" Eliza asked eagerly.

"Our apples?" Julia said.

"Not quite yet," Beckett told them. "Now we're going to play a game before we cut up our apples."

"Good," Julia replied as they were walking together to the family room.

"The doggies got tired," Eliza said when they saw them lying on their beds.

"They've had a very busy weekend," Castle said.

"Why don't we watch a movie instead?" Julia asked.

"You're tired too?" Beckett asked knowingly.

Though she wanted to deny it Julia knew her mother wasn't going to buy it so she said, "A little bit."

"That's fine," Beckett said as everyone was looking at her. "What should we watch?"

"I know!" Eliza cried, making the dogs raise their heads as her voice was a little high pitched. She didn't know her family was watching her as she ran over to the cabinet where their movies were and hurriedly pulled one out. "This one," she said to them.

" _Labyrinth_?" Castle asked. "Sounds good to me."

"Me too, go ahead and help her get it started," Beckett told him.

"When can we eat our apples?" Julia asked her mother as she sat with her on the couch.

"At the first song," Beckett replied, wrapping her arms around her.

Castle sat down next to them before he picked up Eliza and set her on his lap as the movie began on the TV. He had seen it many times already; since it had been a favorite of Alexis since she was a little girl; and he focused his attention more on the girls before they stopped at the beginning of the first song. He went with Beckett to the kitchen and they sliced up the caramel apples together before they carried them to their family. He wasn't surprised when the girls sat down together at the coffee table to share their apple and he held the plate between him and Beckett so they could eat and that was how they spent the rest of the movie until it was over.

"Mommy-" Julia started to whisper.

"I see sweetie," Beckett replied before she reached down to Eliza. "Eliza," she murmured, gently kissing her temple. "You need to wake up."

Blinking her eyes, the little girl yawned widely before she sighed and said, "My teeth?"

"You need to brush them," Beckett replied as she walked over to the stairs with everyone else following them. She carried Eliza up to her room and changed her quickly into her pajamas though the little girl was nearly falling asleep as she did that. When she had finished she called the others in and then took Eliza into the bathroom to help her brush her teeth so she wouldn't fall asleep with her toothbrush in her mouth.

By the time everyone was saying goodnight to her Eliza was fast asleep and Beckett and Castle tucked her in, saying a last I love you though she couldn't hear.

"We're going to bed," Alexis told her father, stepmother and Julia out in the hall.

"We'll see you tomorrow at breakfast?" Castle asked the two as they were hugging his daughter to say goodnight to her.

"Of course, we'll join you if you're walking to school," Alexis told them. "I love you guys, night."

"Good night Alexis, we love you too," Beckett said, Castle nodding in agreement with her.

After saying goodnight to Louis, Beckett went with Julia into her room and waited for her to change before she called Castle in.

"Does she have time for anything?" he asked his wife once he stepped inside.

"She might, it depends on what she wants to do," Beckett replied before she looked with him over to the bathroom where their oldest was walking out of.

"Is it okay if we talk?" Julia asked before she jumped onto her bed.

"Oh, I think that's my cue to go," Castle said, pretending to turn to the door.

"Daddy," Julia said laughingly. "I don't want you to leave."

"Then what would you like to talk about?" Beckett asked as Castle brought the desk chair over so he could look at them both.

"Well, practicing the daces has been a lot of fun," Julia said, wrapping her arms around her bent knees.

"How are you doing on the marathon?" Castle asked her.

"Okay," Julia said honestly. "But I'm a little worried about the Argentine Tango."

"Your sister told us about that," Beckett said. "You had a good idea for the song."

"Yeah," Julia said slowly. "But why did George write that stuff if it was bad?"

"He was trying to make it appropriate and in those days; when the movie was supposed to take place," Castle began with a sigh as she was talking about the song _Shanghai Surprise_. "I guess nobody thought to stop calling people from China coolie but these days it's not okay. Very insulting so you came up with a good idea because the music is going to be great for your dance."

"Did Ms. Grey say if they agreed with it?" Beckett asked since the girl had thought of making the lyrics fade in and out as the people in charge of the competition had protested some of them.

"Not yet, I think they're gonna tell us this week," Julia said. "But I hope they are okay with it 'cause I like the music too."

"Anything else?" Beckett asked.

"Do you think that boy would have hurt me?" Julia blurted out when she started to shake her head but saw her parents obviously didn't believe her.

"No," Castle said. "We wouldn't have let him."  
"That and remember what I told you," Beckett said. "He thought you were cute."

"But he didn't say that," Julia said. She then shuddered and said, "He didn't say anything."

"It was in the way he looked at you," Castle said.

"You could tell?" Julia asked. When he nodded she groaned and turned onto her stomach looking at the window and the rain falling on it as the blinds weren't closed. "He was cute."

"Julia," Beckett said immediately. "Julia look at me," she told her slightly sternly.

Though she didn't want to the girl turned around slowly before sitting up again and she whispered, "Not really."

"Thank you," Beckett said before opening her arms to her. When her oldest was curled up against her she pressed a kiss to her forehead and said, "You don't have to think he's cute just because he's a boy."

"No, she's right," Castle said quickly as Julia turned to him. "In fact, I'd prefer you'd choose to think someone's cute because of their personality."

"Like you do Mommy?" Julia asked with a smile. When he tapped his nose, she giggled softly and sighed saying, "I thought I'd have to."

"No, you don't," Beckett said firmly. "When I was your age… oh, this is because of Eve isn't it?"

"Why?" Castle asked when Julia nodded.

With a slight blush on her cheeks the girl replied, "She's really happy even though they don't go on dates alone… they study alone though at the house."

"You're still young sweetheart," Castle said, smiling as he'd had to talk to Alexis about that as well. "So wait until you're a little bit older to worry about who you like."

"Okay," Julia said with a sigh.

"And now it's time for someone to go to bed," Beckett said though she didn't stop cradling her.

"Kate?" Castle said after giving her a few minutes more.

"Okay," Beckett replied, letting their oldest get off her lap.

"Sweet dreams tonight Julia, tomorrow you'll have to tell Mari about your trips," Castle said as he hugged her tightly.

"Oh… that's right," Julia breathed. "Can I take some apples for her?"

"We'll give some to David and Rebecca tomorrow at the school," Beckett said as Castle was looking at her to answer that. "But we'll cut you some extra slices you can share with your friends."

"Thanks," Julia said, beaming at them both. She shared a kiss with her father and said, "I love you Daddy."

"I love you too sweetheart," Castle said before hugging her one last time.

Tucking her legs beneath the covers Julia embraced her mother as tightly as she could. "I love you too Mommy, thank you for listening to me. Even though I'm still a little girl."

"You don't need to worry about that my little one," Beckett said, holding her close. "Whatever you want to say I'll listen; I'm your mother." She then looked over at Castle and said, "Your daddy too."

"She's right, me too," Castle said with a smile as he slightly waved at them.

"And I love you Julia," Beckett said to her, kissing her forehead. She tucked her daughter in and said, "Sweet dreams."

"Thanks, you too Mommy," Julia replied before she was set. She watched her parents walk to the door then and after the lights were turned off she sighed in pleasure at the thought that finally they were back and everything felt right before she closed her eyes.

Out in the hall Castle followed his wife to their room and once they were inside with the door locked he looked around saying, "This is much better."

Beckett laughed softly and said, "Better than the hotel in Santa Monica?"

Castle pretended to think that over and when his wife laughed again he said, "Tough call but I think I'll stick with here. And now we can get back to this again."

At first Beckett wasn't sure what he was talking about but soon after she looked on while he was lighting their fireplace. With a smile she said, "You've been itching to get that back on again."

"You know me so well," Castle replied before he leaned down and easily captured her lips with his own. They were soon after kissing deeply and she suddenly felt her fingers searching for his buttons and he pulled away before looking at her. "You-" he began.

"We have a chance now," Beckett replied. "No holding back."

Recalling that quickly Castle kissed her again before he very slowly pulled away from her. "Kate?" he began.

"Yes?" Beckett asked before her husband was kissing at her neck. She immediately leaned her head back before she took care of the rest of his buttons and his shirt fell open.

"Wait," Castle said, pulling away from her with a gasp. "I got an idea," he said as he scrambled to button his shirt again.

Beckett watched him before she saw he was putting on the blazer he'd worn in the colder weather on the drive and then going to where they kept their decks of cards. "I must be losing my touch," she said jokingly. "I should have known."

"Now you do," Castle said before he motioned to the bed. He thought his wife might protest even slightly but she was almost leaping onto the end of it before he sat with her. "Highest card, best two out of three," he said. He expected a complaint as it would be quickly gone through but when she just looked at him expectantly he breathed out hard before he shuffled rapidly and then split the deck before he got his first card prepared, waiting for her to get hers before they set them down at the same time.

"You realize we're going to take turns with this right?" Beckett said as she'd won that time.

Castle opened his mouth to protest but stopped before he nodded and then said, "Whenever someone's completely stripped we play one last time. Just one," he had to add quickly as his wife appeared to be prepared to speak. "And whoever wins that will pick the position."

"Hurry up," Beckett said as she placed a card down in between them, giving him her approval of that idea.

Not surprised when he lost that time and won the third time Castle said, "I guess that's karma paying me back for redressing."

Beckett gave him a look as he took off his blazer before she said, "I don't think that's how karma works; at least not that simply." They played another three times and she ended up winning again. "Or maybe it does," she said teasingly to him.

"I guess, so what do you want?" Castle asked, wondering if he should be wary of her as she looked extremely thoughtful.

Gesturing with her finger Beckett waited for him to lean into her before she kissed him and she could feel his surprise in that as it was very simple. When they parted she was then quick to lean against him again and she took his lower lip in between her teeth, nibbling at it gently before she became rough. Feeling his groans against her lips she did that a few more seconds before letting him go. "Rick?" she said in amusement as he seemed to be frozen while she picked up her cards.

Shaking himself Castle then played the next three cards with hers and found himself winning that time. "So, I guess that broke the cycle," he commented.

"What cycle?" Beckett asked as she was unbuttoning her blouse.

"No idea, I just felt like something had to be said," Castle replied with a shrug. He wasn't surprised when she rolled her eyes and he watched her toss aside her blouse, unable to keep himself staring at her when he realized her arms were moving. He was able to quickly recover and put down his card just after she had, seeing he had won the first time. He lost the second and ended up with just one number higher than his wife the third time. Before she could ask him what he wanted he was getting up and pulling her over to the windows.

It took Beckett a moment to recover from the abruptness of that but she was soon responding to his kiss that he pulled her into as soon as her back was against a window. She could feel his desperation in the way he was taking her lips and she caressed the back of his neck before they parted. "Is this payback?" she couldn't help asking. She was startled when he merely shook his head no and then turned her around to face their view of the beach. She was breathing heavily as she could feel him opening the fly of her pants before it stopped momentarily as his hand slipped inside. Feeling it slide over the mound at the apex of her legs she was closing her eyes tightly as he easily found her clit. When he began to rub at it she staggered back against him as much as she could before she was able to straighten up slightly and instinctively moved her hips in time with him before she gasped out, "How far-"

"That's up to you," Castle interrupted as he knew what she was going to ask already. He was waiting for her to say something to that but when she didn't he continued for another minute before she stopped him. Reluctantly he pulled his hand from her before he followed her back to the bed and said, "Maybe we shouldn't really move from the bed."

"You're just afraid of what I'll think of if it's my turn next," Beckett told him wryly as she sat down after she had closed her fly.

"Slightly," Castle said before they set down their next cards. He wasn't really all that surprised when she won all three rounds and he sighed in mock resignation. "You… don't want to help me?" he asked her.

"You started this, I think you should go ahead and finish it," Beckett told him simply. When he looked at her she merely smiled and waited until his shirt was on the floor with her own to say, "Should we stop?"

"I didn't say that when you took your top off," Castle told her. "Next hand."

"Round?" Beckett asked as she set her card down; an ace to his king.

"Deal?" Castle replied as he won the second time around.

"I don't think it matters," Beckett said, shaking her head as she smiled. She quickly set down her third card and laughed momentarily when they ended up with the same number, a three.

"Okay, next," Castle said, setting down another card and finding he'd won. He became thoughtful once he'd gathered the cards and then said, "I said we should stay around the bed."

"I'm fine with that," Beckett said, curious as to what he was hesitating about.

With a nod Castle moved their cards out of the way before he made her lay down and the second her back was on the bed he proceeded to kiss around her skin, whatever he could reach that was exposed to him. He heard; at the same time he was doing that; his wife's breathing becoming heavier and it in turn affected him to the point where he toyed with the idea of just ripping the rest of her clothes off to be able to get to the rest of her. But she soon pushed up on his shoulders to get him off her and he said, "Thank you."

"You weren't the only one tempted," Beckett said. When he looked at her in slight surprise she smiled and said, "I could tell."

"Here," Castle said, handing her back her deck. When they played their next three cards he frowned at the fact that he'd lost all of them and said, "Usually I have better luck."

"You do, maybe it's my turn," Beckett said, watching as he stood. "Fate."

His head jerking over to her Castle saw by the smile on her face that she wasn't serious and he said, "At least I don't mind doing this for you."

"Neither do I," Beckett commented as he sat down with her left only in his boxers. She smiled as he studied her and pointed out to him, "You should look at this another way; you have only one thing left on."

Immediately seeing what she meant Castle nodded and said, "Let's hope you win the one after this."

"And not this one?" Beckett said wryly as she set down her card, not too surprised it was a low spade.

"It wouldn't really matter," Castle said, setting down his and picking them up. "I think it's more the clothes come off than what we do in between."

"That would mean the in between was pointless," Beckett observed. "So, we wouldn't really have to do anything after this time."

"You're just saying that because you lost," Castle said as they put down their third cards to reveal he'd won all three of them. When she gave him a look he said, "I already know what I'd like to do."

Beckett tried not to smile at how fast her husband had said that and she said, "Then go ahead and start."

With a nod Castle reached for her hand and made her stand up before pulling her over to him to sit on his lap. As soon as she was ready he kissed her, so hard he was dipping her back slightly to her slight cry of surprise that disappeared into his mouth. A second later he was dipping his hand into her bra, feeling her jerking against him as his fingers very easily found her left nipple since it was taut already. He spent some time doing that, going over both her breasts while he was still kissing her, until they slowly pulled away from each other.

"You were hoping I'd be topless by now weren't you?" Beckett asked him in amusement when she'd caught her breath, licking slightly at her swollen lower lip.

"That was in my head," Castle said with a nod, reluctantly letting her go. "But that was no less enjoyable," he said, watching her fixing her bra once she was sitting again. "Sorry."

"No you're not," Beckett said simply, picking up her cards again. She was hopeful as they began to play again until she was winning the third time, having done so the first time. "Hold on," she said, stopping him as he was going to stand up. "Help me," she said as she stood up and went in front of him.

"Gladly," Castle replied before he reached for her fly again. That time it was a little easier as he was facing it and he pulled the jeans off her hips before he watched her remove them fully. He was going to help her with the rest of her clothes but she was working on them herself and he was left to watch; though he didn't mind. "I'm still-" he began as he stood. He was cut off when his wife pulled on the waistband of his boxers, dragging him around their bed and to the table behind the headboard. "Wait, the last… round…" he said as he recalled what he'd said earlier.

Beckett didn't let him try to talk again, instead kissing him as she pushed down on his boxers. Luckily, he didn't pause and they were soon out of the way before he was descending to her neck. She leaned back against the table as he was pressing against her firmly and she could feel why he was doing that easily. Carefully she pushed him away from her and said, "How long?"

"Long," Castle said before he picked her up to place her on the table. He wasn't surprised when he didn't get any protest and instead his wife was grabbing for him to kiss him again. They didn't hold onto each other while they were tangling their tongues back and forth in their mouths, instead they were reaching in between their bodies. He had his fingers against Beckett's sex, feeling how prepared she was already for him while she was taking his erection into her hand. He wasn't sure how they were eventually able to do it but he was sinking into her slowly, feeling her hands on his back before her nails were digging into his skin. When he had stopped and they were pressed against each other he moved from her lips to drift his own around her neck, breathing a little harder as well as she shivered in response.

"Rick-" Beckett began, thinking she was going to have to force him to move. But he was then doing so and she was moving immediately with him though she didn't quite have the rhythm he was going to use. It took her a little more time but finally she had it and she was listening to the way their hips were smacking against each other before she pulled him back. She was going to tell him what she wanted but found herself too breathless to put that into words and instead drew him down to her breasts. He reached up to them first and she compensated for that; as he'd been holding on tightly to the small of her back; by wrapping her legs around his waist. When his hands covered them gently she couldn't stop herself, leaning back on her hands to give him better access before he began to stroke at them.

Watching her closely Castle was relieved her pleasure was so obvious because what he felt raging through his body was almost too much to take though they hadn't been moving for long. That gave him an idea and he stopped moving, holding her hips so she would do the same. He wasn't surprised when she gave him a look for that but didn't say anything, leaning down before he flicked his tongue to first her right nipple before repeating the same action to the other. He hissed as the sudden sensation of her clenching her sex around him tightly was a shock through his entire form and he had to work to make sure he didn't stop what he was doing.

Looking down at him Beckett sat back up so Castle wouldn't have to lean over and she reached up to him, placing her hand on the back of his neck as he proceeded to kiss all around her breasts. Each press of his lips was making her body jump a little and she was relieved when he finally took her right nipple into his mouth, breathing harder as he suckled at it a little gently at first. When he moved to her other she tried to move and wasn't too surprised when his free hand; the other stimulating her breast his mouth wasn't on; stopped her by holding onto her hips. Her body was almost crying out in frustration and she tried to keep herself from acting on that until it became too much.

A little startled by her pushing him back Castle realized swiftly after why she'd done that and he pulled away from her to help her off the table. He pressed close against her once she was standing and facing away from him, kissing at her shoulder a few times. "I won't be able to really do this for long," he told her in between kisses.

"You think I will?" Beckett shot back.

"Okay," Castle said before they were working together to allow him to slip back inside of her. He hissed as she cried out when he slammed against her, hoping she wasn't hurt since he had his eyes closed and couldn't see if she was hitting the table. But she was reaching behind her for him and he was beginning to move again at her touch, knowing she wasn't going to stand him waiting.

Moaning softly as her husband was getting in deep inside of her Beckett tightened the grip her hand had on the back of his neck, testing how she could move with him. The friction seemed to intensify whenever she did that; and it was already strong; and she hoped he'd heard her unspoken request when she'd told him she couldn't last that long as they were. But her mind soon forgot that as he was attempting to shift the angle of his hips so he was going down a little in his thrusts. "Wait!" she gasped as she suddenly realized he had found her g-spot. "Wait, I'm…" she began before she trailed off as he had stopped. She almost collapsed onto the table as after the two thrusts he'd managed her legs were nearly weak. When he moved and then picked her up she was relieved before she was laid on the middle of the bed.

"I would apologize but I can tell you're trying to remember how that felt," Castle said as he was next to her, watching her closely.

Beckett licked her lips before she smiled and said, "You can do that after."

"Are you sure?" Castle asked eagerly. When she just laughed he leaned down, about to kiss at her neck, before he was suddenly hauled on top of her. "Well if you wanted to you should have just asked," he said.

"Shut up and fuck me Rick," Beckett said eagerly.

"Gladly," Castle said as he could hear how much her unsatisfied desire was affecting her. He thrust hard into her immediately, both groaning with the force of it, and he kissed her deeply as soon as she had pushed herself up onto her arms. Moving shortly after they'd begun kissing he could feel that they were both close, just in the way their bodies were reacting to each other every time he sank into her. He was eager and she was welcoming and he knew he had to slow things down; though he had no concept of time at the moment.

Groaning when her husband slowed down Beckett wanted to protest but she couldn't as his mouth was covering hers. But she knew why he was doing that and she couldn't blame him as she was feeling what he was. She wanted to tell him time didn't really matter; knowing that it had been some time since they'd started; but she couldn't as he was going faster again. She cried out; as they were parted by then; and held onto him tightly since she could feel he wasn't going to slow down or stop that time. "I…" she tried to say though she couldn't get further past that.

"I know… I'm going to fucking come love you need to too," Castle nearly hissed as he watched her fall back on the bed under him. He wasn't sure he could do it but made the attempt to move even faster than he already was. "We'll do this again… now we're back home. Just… Kate, love, come for me now."

Though she was already experiencing her climax before her husband was finished commanding her Beckett still credited him with initiating it. And she called his name as many times as she could as it was the best way she could tell him that she appreciated what he'd wrought in her body since it was better than anything she could have done by herself. When she felt him following her very shortly after she tightened her grip on him, her legs wrapped around him as forcefully as her arms were. She wasn't sure what exactly set off her second orgasm but she was nearly screaming while it was tearing through her and she lost all control of her body.

Castle had no choice but to echo her and he was climaxing as well though he didn't mind it in the slightest. When the initial mind-numbing sensation of feeling them so much more intimately connected calmed he kissed around her neck before he had to breathe and managed to chant her name again. He had no idea when Beckett had stopped moving and was limp on the bed below him, only that he felt the necessity of a few last thrusts that were moving their bed roughly. His head spinning and making him wonder why they hadn't passed out entirely he stopped and tried his best to get a hold of his strength again as he didn't want to risk hurting her.

"Rick?" Beckett asked her husband after some time. When he groaned she smiled and caressed his neck before he withdrew from her and flopped onto his back on the bed. "Thank you," she said, turning to drape her body over his.

"Welcome… thank you too that was… it was," Castle said. He shuddered in joy at the sound of her slight laughter and turned to see she was closer than he realized. "You-"

"Take me again lover," Beckett whispered before they were suddenly moving and beginning to satisfy her request as it was what they mutually desired.

* * *

Walking back into the room Castle closed the door behind him but didn't lock it before he made his way over to the bed where his wife was still sleeping. He'd thought she was so he was startled to find her looking up at him. "Okay?" he asked as they stared at each other for some time.

"Are you?" Beckett asked as she pushed herself up.

"Yeah, I just… felt like checking on the girls," Castle said, about to say he was going to get a glass of water but realizing that wouldn't work as his hands were empty.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Beckett asked. When he shook his head, she wasn't surprised; as she knew she'd be able to tell if that was the case; she smiled and told him, "That's your protective streak."

"I realize," Castle said. "That and I wanted to remind myself we were home and not in a hotel."

"I don't blame you," Beckett said, getting out of the bed and slipping her feet into her slippers. Since she was dressed in her pajamas then she squeezed her husband's hand in passing before she then walked down the hall to Eliza's room first, checking on her from the doorway before she stepped inside. She kissed the little girl gently on the top of her head, watching to make sure that she hadn't woken her up. After they left they made their way over to Julia's room and she repeated the same there. When they stepped outside she easily noticed her husband looking at Alexis' closed door and she took his hand.

When they were inside their bedroom Castle closed the door behind them again and followed her to the bed. "Do you think-" he started to say.

"Yes," Beckett said easily. She smiled when he glanced at her and told him, "I thought you might want to but the girls…"

"Our parents would watch them," Castle pointed out. "And we'd remind them it's not that long until her term is over and she's here for winter break."

"Alright," Beckett said with a nod as they were talking about taking Alexis back to Oxford. "But for now, we both need to sleep; the girls will notice we're tired."

"Not just the girls," Castle said as they got into bed. They laid down and he said, "I think we can start working on the book tomorrow."

Looking at her husband in surprise Beckett then said, "Alright," knowing it stemmed from him wanting to remind himself they were back home. "We'll start with it." She smiled at him and then kissed him deeply before he was quickly responding. After they had slowly parted she murmured as they pressed their foreheads together, "I love you Rick."

"I love you too Kate," Castle told her seriously. He kissed her again tenderly before he pulled away; fully intending to stop so they could sleep.

The two were staring at each other for so long that finally they were pulled back together once more, unable to resist the desire for each other. They didn't fight it, having done that for too long to let it take over again, and they enjoyed every second they had of their mouths joined as they took advantage of their joy in being back home and back in their bed together for as long as they could.


End file.
